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PETER 
STUYVESANT 

J  ■  S- C -ABBOTT 


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/  (SioyL 


Avery  Architectural  and  Fine  Arts  Library 
Gift  of  Seymour  B.  Durst  Old  York  Library 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2013 


http://archive.org/details/peterstuyvesantOOabbo_0 


Peter  Stuyvesant 


By 
JOHN  S.   C.  ABBOTT 


New  York 

Dodd,  Mead  and  Company 

1898 


Copyright,  1873, 

BV 

DODD    &    MEAD. 


Copyright  1901,  by 
i(at'ka  arpott  Buck 


PREFACE. 


It  is  impossible  to  understand  the  very  remark- 
able character  and  career  of  Peter  Stuyvesant,  the 
last,  and  by  far  the  most  illustrious,  of  the  Dutch 
governors  of  New  Amsterdam,  without  an  acquaint- 
ance with  the  early  history  of  the  Dutch  colonies 
upon  the  Hudson  and  the  Delaware.  The  Antiqua- 
rian may  desire  to  look  more  fully  into  the  details 
of  the  early  history  of  New  York.  But  this  brief, 
yet  comprehensive  narrative,  will  probably  give  most 
of  the  information  upon  that  subject,  which  the 
busy,  general  reader  can  desire. 

In  this  series  of  "  The  Pioneers  and  Patriots  of 
America"  the  reader  will  find,  in  the  "Life  of  De 
Soto,"  a  minute  description  of  the  extreme  south 
and  its  inhabitants,  when  the  Mississippi  rolled  its 
flood  through  forests  which  the  foot  of  the  white  man 
had  never  penetrated.  u  Daniel  Boone  "  conducts 
us  to  the  beautiful  streams  and  hunting  grounds  of 
Kentucky,  when  the  Indian  was  the  sole  possessor 


fV  PREFACE, 

of  those  sublime  solitudes.  In  the  "  Life  of  Miles 
Standish,  the  Puritan  Captain/'  we  are  made  familiar 
with  that  most  wonderful  of  all  modern  stories,  the 
settlement  of  New  England.  "  Peter  Stuyvesant  *' 
leads  us  to  the  Hudson,  from  the  time  when  its  ma- 
jestic waters  were  disturbed  only  by  the  arrowy 
flight  of  the  birch  canoe,  till  European  colonization 
had  laid  there  the  foundations  of  one  of  the  most 
flourishing  cities  on  this  globe. 

In  these  Histories  the  writer  has  spared  no  labor 
in  gathering  all  the  information  in  his  power,  re- 
specting those  Olden  Times,  now  passing  so  rapidly 
into  oblivion 

JOHN  S.  C.  ABBOTT. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I. 
Discovery  of  the  Hudson  River. 

MM 

The  Discovery  of  America. — Colonies. — The  Bay  of  New  York. 

— Description  of  the  Bay. — Voyage  of  Sir  Henry  Hudson. 
— Discovery  of  the  Delaware. — The  Natives. — The  Boat 
Attacked. — Ascending  the  Hudson. — Escape  of  the  Pris- 
oners.— The  Chiefs  Intoxicated. — The  Return. — The  Village 
at  Castleton. — The  Theft  and  its  Punishment. — The  Return 
to  England ,         .     13 

CHAPTER  II. 

The  Progress  of  Discovery. 

Value  of  the  Territory  Discovered. — Fate  of  Hudson. — The  Con- 
spiracy.— Aspect  of  Manhattan  Island. — The  Trail  which 
has  Widened  into  Broadway. — The  Opening  Commerce. — 
The  Fur  Trade.— Visit  of  the  English  Man  of  War.— Ex- 
ploring the  Sound. — Commercial  Enterprise  Receives  a  New 
Stimulus.— Erection  of  Forts. — Character  of  the  Fur  Trade.     33 

CHAPTER  III. 

The  Commencement  of  Colonization. 

The  Puritans. — Memorial  to  the  States-General. — Disagreement 
of  the  English  and  the  Dutch. — Colony  on  the  Delaware- 
Purchase  of  Manhattan. — The  First  Settlement. — An  Indian 
Robbed  and  Murdered. — Description  of  the  Island. — Diplo- 
matic Intercourse. — Testimony  of  De  Rassieres. — The  Pa- 
troons. — The  Disaster  at  Swaanendael 54 


V1  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IV. 
The  Administration  of  Van  Twiller. 

PAGE 

Friendly  Relations  Restored. — Wouter  Van  Twiller  New  Direc- 
tor.— Captain  Elkins. — Remonstrance  of  De  Vrees. — Claim* 
for  the  Connecticut. — The  Plymouth  Expedition. — A  Boat's 
Crew  Murdered. — Condition  of  the  Colony  in  1633. — Emi- 
gration to  the  Connecticut. — Emigrants  from  Holland.— 
The  Red  Rocks.— New  Haven  Colony  Established. — Nat- 
ural.— Indian  Remonstrance  Against  Taxation. — Outrage 
upon  the  Raritan  Indians. — Indian  Revenge.       •        •        -77 

CHAPTER  V. 

War  and  its  Devastations. 

Approaching  Hostilities. — Noble  Remonstrance. — Massacre  of 
the  Natives.— The  War  Storm. —  Noble  Conduct  of  De 
Vrees. — The  Humiliation  of  Kieft. — Wide-Spread  Desola- 
tion.— The  Reign  of  Terror. — State  of  Affairs  at  Fort  Nas- 
sau.— The  Massacre  at  Stamford. — Memorial  of  the  Select 
Men. — Kieft  Superseded  by  Peter  Stuyvesant.      •        •        •   100 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Governor  Stuyvesant 

New  Netherland  in  1646. — Early  Years  of  Peter  Stuyvesant.— 
Decay  of  New  Amsterdam. — The  Germs  of  a  Representative 
Government. — Energetic  Administration. — Death  of  Gover- 
nor Winthrop. —  Claims  for  Long  Island. — Arrogance  of 
the  Governor. — Remonstrance  of  the  Nine  Men. — The  Pas- 
toral Office. — Boundary  Lines. —  Increasing  Discontent. — 
Division  of  Parties. — Dictatorial  Measures.        .        .        .121 

CHAPTER  VII. 
War  Between  England  and  Holland. 

Action  of  the  Patroons. — Settlements  on  the  Hudson. — Alarm 
of  the  Home  Government. — Recall  of  Stuyvesant. — His  Es- 


CONTENTS.  Vli 

PAGB 

cape  from  Humiliation. — Difficulties  between  England  and 
Holland. — The  Breaking  Out  of  War. — Directions  to  Stuy- 
vesant. — The  Relations  of  the  Colonies. — Charges  Against 
the  Dutch  Governor. — Their  Refutation. — Efforts  of  Stuy- 
vesant  for  Peace. — Noble  Conduct  of  the  Massachusetts 
Government. — The  Advocates  for  War.        .        .        •        .  144 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Another  Indian    War. 

Conflict  Between  the  Governor  and  the  Citizens. — Energy  of  the 
Governor. — His  Measures  of  Defence. — Action  of  the  Eng- 
lish Colony. — Claims  of  the  Government  of  Sweden. — Fort 
Casimir  Captured  by  the  Swedes. — Retaliation. — Measures 
for  the  Recapture  of  Fort  Casimir. — Shooting  a  Squaw. — Its 
Consequences. — The  Ransom  of  Prisoners. — Complaints  of 
the  Swedish  Governor. — Expedition  from  Sweden. — Its  Fate.  167 

CHAPTER  IX 

An  Energetic  Administration. 

New  Amsterdam  in  1656. — Religious  Intolerance. — Persecution 
of  the  Waldenses. — The  New  Colony  on  South  River.— 
Wreck  of  the  Prince  Maurice. — The  Friendly  Indians. — 
Energetic  Action  of  the  Governor. —  Persecution  of  the 
Quakers. — Remonstrance  from  Flushing. — The  Desolation 
of  Staten  Island. — Purchase  of  Bergen. — Affairs  at  Esopus. 
— The  Indian  Council. — Generosity  of  the  Indians. — New 
Amstel. — Encroachments  of  the  English.      •  .        .  191 

CHAPTER  X. 

The  Esopus   War. 

Outrage  at  Esopus. — New  Indian  War. — Its  Desolations. — Suffer- 
ings of  Both  Parties. — Wonderful  Energies  of  the  Governor. 
— Difficulties  of  his  Situation. — The  Truce. — Renewal  of 
the  War. — The  Mohawks. — The  Controversy  with   Massa- 


VIM  CONTENTS. 

PAGH 

chusetts. — Indian  Efforts  for  Peace. — The  Final  Settlement 
— Claims  of  the  English  Upon  the  Delaware. — Renewed 
Persecution  of  the  Quakers •        •  213 

CHAPTER  XI. 

The  Disastrous    Year, 

Purchase  of  Staten  Island. — The  Restoration  of  Charles  Second. 
— Emigration  Invited. — Settlement  of  Bushwick. — The  Pe- 
culiar People. — Persecution  of  JohnBowne. — The  Governor 
Rebuked. —  Cumulation  of  Disasters.  —  The  Outbreak  at 
Esopus. — The  Panic  — Measures  of  the  Governor. — The  In- 
dian Fort. — The  Expedition  to  Mamaket. — Capture  of  the 
Fort. — Annihilation  of  the  Esopus  Indians.        .        .        .  234 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Encroachments  of  the  E?iglish. 

Annihilation  of  the  Esopus  Tribe. — The  Boundary  Question. — 
Troubles  on  Long  Island.  The  Dutch  and  English  Vil- 
lages.— Petition  of  the  English. — Embarrassments  of  Gov- 
ernor Stuyvesant. — Embassage  to  Hartford. — The  Repulse. 
— Peril  of  New  Netherland. — Memorial  to  the  Fatherland. 
— New  Outbreak  on  Long  Island. — John  Scott  and  his  High- 
handed Measures. — Strengthening  the  Fortifications.    .        .  257 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Hostile  Measures  Commenced. 

John  Scott  and  his  Movements. — Losses  of  the  Dutch. — The  First 
General  Assembly. — Action  of  the  Home  Government. — 
Peace  with  the  Indians. — Arrest  of  John  Scott. — Governor 
Winthrop's  Visit  to  Long  Island. — Sailing  of  the  Fleet. — 
Preparations  for  War. — The  False  Dispatches. — Arrival  of 
the  Fleet. — The  Summons  to  Surrender.      .        .        .  27g 


CONTENTS.  Ix 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
The  Capture  of  New  Amsterdam. 

FAGB 

The  Approach  of  the  Fleet. — The  Governor  Unjustly  Censured. 
—  The  Flag  of  Truce. — The  Haughty  Response. — The  Re- 
monstrance.— The  Defenceless  City. — The  Surrender. — The 
Expedition  to  the  Delaware. — Sack  and  Plunder. — Change 
of  Name. — Testimony  to  the  Dutch  Government. — Death 
of  the  Governor. — His  Farm,  or  Bouwerie. — War  Between 
Holland  and  England.—  New  York  Menaced  by  the  Dutch.  30I 

CHAPTER  XV. 

The  Final  Surrender, 

The  Summons. — The  Bombardment. — Disembarkation  of  the 
Land  Force. — Indecision  of  Captain  Manning. — The  Sur- 
render.— Short  Administration  of  the  Dutch. — Social  Cus- 
toms.— The  Tea  Party. — Testimony  of  Travellers. — Visit  to 
Long  Island. — Fruitfulness  of  the  Country. — Exploration  of 
Manhattan  Island.         ........  324 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

The  Olden  Time. 

Wealth  and  Rank  of  the  Ancient  Families. — Their  Vast  Landed 
Estates. — Distinctions  in  Dress. — Veneration  for  the  Pa- 
troon. — Kip's  Mansion. —  Days  of  the  Revolution. — Mr. 
John  Adams'  Journal. — Negro  Slavery. — Consequences  of 
the  System. — General  Panic ,  346 


Peter  Stuyvesant. 


CHAPTER  I. 
Discovery  of  the  Hudson  River. 

The  Discovery  of  America. — Colonies. — The  Bay  of  New  York.— 
Description  of  the  Bay. — Voyage  of  Sir  Henry  Hudson. — Dis- 
covery of  the  Delaware. — The  Natives. — The  Boat  Attacked.— 
Ascending  the  Hudson. — Escape  of  the  Prisoners. — The  Chiefs 
Intoxicated.— The  Return.— The  Village  at  Cast Ieton.— The 
Theft  and  its  Punishment. — The  Return  to  England. 

On  the  1 2th  of  October,  1492,  Christopher  Co- 
lumbus landed  upon  the  shores  of  San  Salvador,  one 
of  the  West  India  islands,  and  thus  revealed  to  as- 
tonished Europe  a  new  world.  Four  years  after  this, 
in  the  year  1496,  Sebastian  Cabot  discovered  the 
continent  of  North  America.  Thirty-three  years 
passed  away  of  many  wild  adventures  of  European 
voyagers,  when,  in  the  year  1539,  Ferdinand  de  Soto 
landed  at  Tampa  Bay,  in  Florida,  and  penetrating 
the  interior  of  the  vast  continent,  discovered  the 


14  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

Mississippi  River.  Twenty-six  years  more  elapsed 
ere,  in  1565,  the  first  European  colony  was  estar> 
lished  at  St.  Augustine>  in  Florida. 

In  the  year  1585,  twenty  years  after  the  settle 
ment  of  St.  Augustine,  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  com- 
menced his  world-renowned  colony  upon  the  Roa- 
noke. Twenty-two  years  passed  when,  in  1607,  the 
London  Company  established  the  Virginia  Colony 
upon  the  banks  of  the  James  river. 

In  the  year  1524,  a  Florentine  navigator  by  the 
name  of  Jean  de  Verrazano,  under  commission  of 
the  French  monarch,  Francis  I.,  coasting  northward 
along  the  shores  of  the  continent,  entered  the  bay 
of  New  York.  In  a  letter  to  king  Francis  I.,  dated 
July  8th,  1524,  he  thus  describes  the  Narrows  and 
the  Bay : 

"  After  proceeding  one  hundred  leagues,  we 
found  a  very  pleasant  situation  among  some  steep 
hills,  through  which  a  very  large  river,  deep  at  its 
mouth,  forced  its  way  to  the  sea.  From  the  sea  to 
the  estuary  of  the  river,  any  ship  heavily  laden  might 
pass,  with  the  help  of  the  tide,  which  rises  eight  feet. 
But  as  we  were  riding  at  anchor,  in  a  good  berth, 
we  would  not  venture  up  in  our  vessel  without  a 
knowledge  of  the  mouth.  Therefore  we  took  the 
boat,  and  entering  the  river,  we  found  the  country 
on  its  banks,  well  peopled,  the  inhabitants  not  much 


DISCOVERY   OF  THE   HUDSON   RIVER.  1 5 

differing  from  the  others,  being  dressed  out  with  the 
feathers  of  birds  of  various  colors. 

"They  came  towards  us  with  evident  delight, 
raising  loud  shouts  of  admiration,  and  showing  us 
where  we  could  most  securely  land  with  our  boat. 
We  passed  up  this  river  about  half  a  league,  when 
we  found  it  formed  a  most  beautiful  lake  three 
leagues  in  circuit,  upon  which  they  were  rowing 
thirty  or  more  of  their  small  boats,  from  one  shore 
to  the  other,  filled  with  multitudes  who  came  to  see 
us.  All  of  a  sudden,  as  is  wont  to  happen  to  navi- 
gators, a  violent  contrary  wind  blew  in  from  the  sea, 
and  forced  us  to  return  to  our  ship,  greatly  regret- 
ting to  leave  this  region  which  seemed  so  commodi- 
ous and  delightful,  and  which  we  supposed  must 
also  contain  great  riches,  as  the  hills  showed  many 
indications  of  minerals." 

In  the  year  1609,  a  band  of  Dutch  merchants, 
called  the  East  India  Company,  fitted  out  an  expe- 
dition to  discover  a  northeast  passage  to  the  Indies. 
They  built  a  vessel  of  about  eighty  tons  burden, 
called  the  Half  Moon,  and  manning  her  with  twenty 
sailors,  entrusted  the  command  to  an  Englishman, 
Henry  Hudson.  He  sailed  from  the  Texel  in  his 
solitary  vessel,  upon  this  hazardous  expedition,  on 
the  6th  of  April,  1609.  Doubling  North  Cape  arr.,id 
storms  and  fog  and  ice,  after  the  rough  voyage  of  a 


l6  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

month,  he  became  discouraged,  and  determined  to 
change  his  plan  and  seek  a  northwest  passage. 

Crossing  the  Atlantic,  which,  in  those  high  lati- 
tudes, seems  ever  to  be  swept  by  storms,  he  laid  in 
a  store  of  codfish  on  the  banks  of  Newfoundland, 
and,  on  the  17th  of  July,  ran  his  storm-shattered 
bark  into  what  is  now  known  as  Penobscot  Bay,  on 
the  coast  of  Maine.  Here  he  found  the  natives 
friendly.  He  had  lost  his  foremast  in  a  storm,  and 
remained  at  this  place  a  week,  preparing  a  new  one. 
He  had  heard  in  Europe  that  there  was  probably  a 
passage  through  the  unexplored  continent,  to  the 
Pacific  ocean,  south  of  Virginia.  Continuing  his 
voyage  southward,  he  passed  Cape  Cod,  which  he 
supposed  to  be  an  island,  and  arrived  on  the  1 8th 
of  August  at  the  entrance  of  Chesapeake  Bay.  He 
then  ran  along  the  coast  in  a  northerly  direction  and 
entered  a  great  bay  with  rivers,  which  he  named 
South  River,  but  which  has  since  received  the  name 
of  the  Delaware. 

Still  following  the  coast,  he  reached  the  High- 
lands of  Neversink,  on  the  2d  of  September,  and  at 
three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  came 
to  what  then  seemed  to  him  to  be  the  mouths  of 
three  large  rivers.  These  were  undoubtedly  the 
Raritan,  the  Narrows,  and  Rockaway  Inlet.  After 
careful  soundings  he,  the  next  morning,  passed  Sandy 


DISCOVERY  OF  THE  HUDSON  RIVER.  IJ 

Hook  and  anchored  in  the  bay  at  but  two  cables' 
length  from  the  shore.  The  waters  around  him 
were  swarming  with  fish.  The  scenery  appeared  to 
him  enchanting.  Small  Indian  villages  were  clus- 
tered along  the  shores,  and  many  birch  canoes  were 
seen  gliding  rapidly  to  and  fro,  indicating  that  the 
region  was  quite  densely  populated,  and  that  the 
natives  were  greatly  agitated  if  not  alarmed  by  the 
strange  arrival. 

Soon  several  canoes  approached  the  vessel,  and 
the  natives  came  on  board,  bringing  with  them  green 
tobacco  and  corn,  which  they  wished  to  exchange 
for  knives  and  beads.  Many  vessels,  engaged  in 
fishing,  had  touched  at  several  points  on  the  Atlan- 
tic coast,  and  trafficked  with  the  Indians.  The  in- 
habitants of  this  unexplored  bay  had  heard  of  these 
adventurers,  of  the  wonders  which  they  brought 
from  distant  lands,  and  they  were  in  a  state  of  great 
excitement,  in  being  visited  in  their  turn. 

The  bay  was  fringed  with  the  almost  impenetra- 
ble forest.  Here  and  there  were  picturesque  open- 
ings, where  Indian  villages,  in  peaceful  beauty,  were 
clustered  in  the  midst  of  the  surrounding  foliage. 
The  natives  were  dressed  in  garments  of  deer  skin, 
very  softly  tanned,  hanging  gracefully  about  their 
persons,  and  often  beautifully  ornamented.  Many  of 
them  wore  mantles  of  gorgeously-colored  feathers, 


1 8  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

quite  artistically  woven  together  ;  and  they  had  also 
garments  of  rich  furs. 

The  following  morning  a  party  from  the  vessel 
landed,  in  a  boat,  on  the  Jersey  shore.  They  were 
received  with  great  hospitality  by  the  natives,  who 
led  them  into  their  wigwams,  and  regaled  them  with 
dried  currants,  which  were  quite  palatable.  As  they 
had  no  interpreters,  they  could  only  communicate 
with  each  other  by  signs.  They  found  the  land 
generally  covered  with  forest  trees,  with  occasional 
meadows  of  green  grass,  profusely  interspersed  with 
flowers,  which  filled  the  air  with  fragrance. 

Another  party  of  five  men,  was  sent  to  examine 
the  northern  shore  of  the  bay.  They  probably  in- 
flicted some  gross  outrage  upon  the  natives,  as  the 
crew  of  the  Half  Moon  had  conducted  infamously, 
at  other  points  of  the  coast,  where  they  had  landed, 
robbing  and  shooting  the  Indians.  The  sun  had 
gone  down,  and  a  rainy  evening  had  set  in,  when  two 
canoes  impelLed  rapidly  by  paddles,  overtook  the 
returning  boat.  One  contained  fourteen  Indians  ; 
the  other  twelve.  Approaching  within  arrow  shot, 
they  discharged  a  volley  into  the  boat.  One  of 
these  keen-pointed  weapons,  struck  John  Coleman 
in  the  throat,  and  instantly  killed  him.  Two  other 
Englishmen  were  wounded. 

The  Indians  seemed  satisfied  with  their  revenge. 


DISCOVERY   OF   THE   HUDSON   RIVER.  19 

Though  they  numbered  twenty-six  warriors,  and 
there  were  but  two  white  men  left  unwounded,  the 
savages  permitted  them  to  continue  their  passage  to 
the  vessel,  without  further  molestation.  The  jour- 
nalist, who  records  this  assault,  is  silent  respecting 
the  piovocation  which  led  to  it. 

Hudson  was  alarmed  by  this  hostility,  and  ex- 
pected an  immediate  attack  upon  the  ship.  He 
promptly  erected  bulwarks  along  the  sides  of  hi3 
vessel  as  a  protection  from  the  arrows  of  the  fleet  of 
war  canoes,  with  which,  he  supposed,  he  would  be 
surrounded  the  next  morning. 

But  the  night  passed  quietly  away;  the  morning 
dawned,  and  a  few  canoes  approached  from  another 
part  of  the  bay,  with  no  signs  of  hostility.  These 
peaceful  Indians  had  manifestly  heard  nothing  of  the 
disturbance  of  the  night  before.  They  came  un- 
armed, with  all  friendly  attestations,  unsuspicious  of 
danger,  and  brought  corn  and  tobacco,  which  they 
offered  in  exchange  for  such  trinkets  as  they  could 
obtain.  The  next  morning,  two  large  canoes  ap- 
proached from  the  shores  of  the  bay  which  was  many 
leagues  ii  extent,  one  of  which  canoes  seemed  to  be 
filled  with  warriors,  thoroughly  armed.  The  other 
was  a  trading  boat. 

It  is  probable  that  those  in  the  war  canoe,  came 
as  a  protection  for  their  companions.     It  is  hardly 


20  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

conceivable  that  the  Indians,  naturally  timid  and 
wary,  could  have  thought,  with  a  single  war  canoe 
containing  scarcely  a  dozen  men,  armed  with  arrows, 
to  attack  the  formidable  vessel  of  Sir  Henry  Hudson, 
armed,  as  they  well  knew  it  to  be,  with  the  terrible 
energies  of  thunder  and  lightning. 

The  Indians  were  so  unsuspicious  of  danger, 
that  two  of  them  unhesitatingly  came  on  board. 
Sir  Henry,  we  must  think  treacherously,  seized 
them  as  prisoners,  and  ordered  the  canoes  contain- 
ing their  companions,  to  keep  at  a  distance.  Soon 
another  canoe  came,  from  another  direction,  with 
only  two  men  in  it.  Sir  Henry  received  them  both 
on  board,  and  seized  them  also  as  prisoners.  He 
intended  to  hold  them  as  hostages,  that  he  might 
thus  protect  himself  from  any  hostility  on  the  part 
of  the  natives. 

One  of  these  men  upon  finding  himself  a  captive, 
leaped  overboard  and  swam  ashore.  Sir  Henry  had 
now  three  prisoners  and  he  guarded  them  very 
closely.  Yet  the  natives,  either  from  policy  or 
from  fear,  made  no  hostile  demonstrations  against 
him. 

The  half  Moon  remained  in  the  outer  bay  nine 
days.  Several  exploring  tours  had  been  sent  out, 
visiting  what  is  now  known  as  the  Jersey  shore. 
None   of  these,  with  the  exception  of  the   one  to 


DISCOVERY   OF   THE   HUDSON   RIVER.  21 

which  we  have  alluded,  encountered  any  hostility 
whatever  from  the  natives. 

On  the  nth  of  September,  Hudson  sailed 
through  the  Narrows,  and  anchored  in  the  still  and 
silent  waters  of  New  York  harbor.  These  waters 
had  never  then  been  whitened  by  a  sail,  or  ploughed 
by  any  craft  larger  than  the  Indian's  birch  canoe. 
The  next  morning,  the  12th  of  September,  Sir 
Henry  again  spread  his  sails,  and  commenced  his 
memorable  voyage  up  the  solitary  river,  which  has 
subsequently  borne  his  name.  Only  here  and  there 
could  a  few  wigwams  be  seen,  scattered  through  the 
forest,  which  fringed  its  banks.  But  human  life  was 
there,  then  as  now,  with  the  joys  of  the  bridal  and 
the  grief  of  the  burial.  When  we  contemplate  the 
million  of  people,  now  crowded  around  the  mouth 
of  the  Hudson,  convulsively  struggling  in  all  the 
stern  conflicts  of  this  tumultuous  life,  it  may  be 
doubted  whether  there  were  not  as  much  real  hap- 
piness in  the  wigwam  of  the  Indian  as  is  now  to  be 
found  in  the  gorgeous  palace  of  the  modern  million- 
aire. And  when  we  contemplate  the  vices  and  the 
crimes  which  civilization  has  developed,  it  may  also 
be  doubted  whether  there  were  not  as  much  virtue, 
comparatively  with  the  numbers  to  be  found,  with- 
in the  bark  hut  of  the  red   man,  as  is  now  to  be 


22  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

found   in  the  abodes  of  the  more   boastful   white 
man. 

Sir  Henry  Hudson  hoped  to  find  this  majestic 
river,  inviting  him  into  unknown  regions  of  the 
north,  to  be  an  arm  of  the  sea  through  which  he 
could  cross  the  continent  to  the  shores  of  the  Pa- 
cific. It  was  not  then  known  whether  this  conti- 
nent were  a  few  miles  or  thousands  of  miles  in 
breadth.  For  the  first  two  days  the  wind  was  con- 
trary, and  the  Half  Moon  ascended  the  river  but 
about  two  miles.  The  still  friendly  natives  paddled 
out  from  the  shores,  in  their  bark  canoes  in  great 
numbers,  coming  on  board  entirely  unarmed  and 
offering  for  sale,  excellent  oysters  and  vegetables  in 
great  abundance. 

On  the  third  day  a  strong  breeze  sprang  up  from 
the  southeast.  All  sail  was  set  upon  the  Half 
Moon.  It  was  a  bright  and  beautiful  autumnal  day. 
Through  enchanting  scenery  the  little  vessel  plough 
ed  the  waves  of  the  unknown  river,  till,  having  ac- 
complished forty  miles,  just  at  sunset  they  dropped 
their  anchor  in  the  still  waters  which  are  surround- 
ed by  the  grand  and  gloomy  cliffs  of  the  Highlands. 

The  next  morning,  the  river  and  its  shores,  were 
enveloped  in  a  dense  fog,  so  that  one  could  see  but 
a  few  yards  before  him.  Taking  advantage  of  this, 
the  Indian  captives,  whom  Sir   Henry  Hudson  had 


DISCOVERY  OF  THE   HUDSON   RIVER.  23 

so  treacherously  ensnared,  leaped  out  of  one  of  the 
port-holes,  and  swam  ashore.  As  soon  as  they 
reached  the  land,  they  raised  loud  shouts  of  hatred 
and  defiance. 

The  sun  soon  dispelled  the  fog,  and  the  voyage 
was  continued,  and  by  night  the  Half  Moon  reached 
a  point  supposed  to  be  near  the  present  site  of  Cats- 
kill  Landing.  The  natives  were  numerous,  and 
very  friendly.  They  came  freely  on  board,  appar- 
ently unsuspicious  of  danger.  It  was  noticeable 
that  there  were  many  very  aged  men  among  them. 
The  river  seemed  full  of  fishes,  and  with  their  hooks 
they  took  large  numbers.  The  next  day  the  In- 
dians came  on  board  in  crowds,  bringing  pumpkins 
and  tobacco.  The  vessel's  boats  were  sent  on  shore 
to  procure  fresh  water. 

Early  the  ensuing  morning,  they  pushed  up  the 
river  five  miles,  to  a  point  probably  near  the  pres- 
ent city  of  Hudson. 

Sir  Henry  Hudson  does  not  appear  to  advantage 
in  the  account  transmitted  to  us  of  this  exploration. 
Mr.  Sparks,  in  his  American  Biography,  gives  the 
following  extraordinary  account  of  one  of  his  pro- 
cedures. 

"  It  is  evident  that  great  distrust  was  entertain- 
ed by  Hudson  and  his  men  towards  the  natives. 
He  now  determined  to  ascertain,  bv  intoxicating 


24  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

some  of  the  chiefs,  and  thus  throwing  them  offtheif 
guard,  whether  they  were  plotting  any  treachery. 
He  accordingly  invited  several  of  them  into  the 
cabin,  and  gave  them  plenty  of  brandy  to  drink. 
One  of  these  men  had  his  wife  with  him,  who,  the 
Journal  informs  us,  l  sate  so  modestly  as  any  of  our 
countrywomen  would  do  in  a  strange  place.'  But 
the  men  had  less  delicacy  and  were  soon  quite  mer- 
ry with  the  brandy. 

"  One  of  them,  who  had  been  on  board  from  the 
first  arrival  of  the  ship,  was  completely  intoxicated, 
and  fell  sound  asleep,  to  the  great  astonishment  of 
his  companions,  who  probably  feared  that  he  had 
been  poisoned ;  for  they  all  took  to  their  canoes  and 
made  for  the  shore,  leaving  their  unlucky  comrade 
on  board.  Their  anxiety  for  his  welfare  soon  in- 
duced them  to  return  ;  and  they  brought  a  quantity 
of  beads,  which  they  gave  him,  perhaps  to  enable 
him  to  purchase  his  freedom  from  the  spell  which 
had  been  laid  upon  him. 

"The  poor  savage  slept  quietly  all  night,  and 
when  his  friends  came  to  visit  him  the  next  morn- 
ing they  found  him  quite  well.  This  restored  their 
confidence,  so  that  they  came  to  the  ship  again  in 
crowds,  in  the  afternoon,  bringing  various  presents 
for  Hudson.  Their  visit  which  was  one  of  unusual 
ceremony  is  thus  described  in  the  Journal : 


DISCOVERY  OF  THE  HUDSON   RIVER.  2$ 

" '  So  at  three  of  the  clock  in  the  afternoon,  they 
came  aboard  and  brought  tobacco  and  more  beads, 
and  gave  them  to  our  master,  and  made  an  oration 
and  showed  him  all  the  country  round  about.  Then 
they  sent  one  of  their  company  on  land,  who  pres- 
ently returned  ;  and  brought  a  great  platter  full  of 
venison,  dressed  by  themselves,  and  they  caused 
him  to  eat  with  them.  Then  they  made  him  rev- 
erence and  departed,  all  save  the  old  man  that  lay 
aboard.' " 

It  was  now  manifest  that  no  northwest  passage 
to  the  Indies  could  be  found  in  this  direction,  and  it 
was  not  deemed  expedient  to  attempt  to  ascend  the 
river  any  farther  in  the  ship.  The  mate,  however, 
was  sent  with  a  boat's  crew,  to  explore  the  river 
some  distance  higher  up.  It  is  supposed  that  the 
boat  ascended  several  miles  above  the  present  site 
of  the  city  of  Albany,  Hudson  probably  going  a  lit- 
tle beyond  where  the  town  of  Waterford  now  is. 
Upon  the  return  of  the  boat,  the  mate  having  re- 
ported that  it  was  useless  to  attempt  any  farther 
ascent  of  the  river  with  the  ship,  Sir  Henry  com- 
menced his  return. 

Carefully  descending  the  winding  channel  of  the 
stream,  he  was  so  unfortunate  as  to  run  the  ship 
on  a  mud  bank,  in  the  middle  of  the  river  nearly 
opposite  the   present    city  of   Hudson.      Without 


26  PETER   STUWESANT. 

much  difficulty  the  vessel  was  again  floated,  having 
received  no  injury.  But  contrary  winds  detained 
him  upon  the  spot  two  days.  In  the  meantime 
several  boat  parties  visited  the  banks  on  both  sides 
of  the  stream.  They  were  also  visited  by  many 
of  the  natives  who  were  unremitting  in  their  kind 
ness. 

A  fair  wind  soon  springing  up  they  ran  down 
the  river  eighteen  miles,  passing  quite  a  large  In- 
dian village  where  Catskill  now  stands,  and  cast 
anchor  in  deep  water,  near  Red  Hook.  Baffled  by 
opposing  winds  and  calms,  they  slowly  worked  their 
way  down  the  stream,  the  next  two  days,  to  near 
the  present  point  of  Castleton.  Here  a  venerable 
old  man,  the  chief  of  a  small  tribe,  or  rather  patri- 
archal family  of  forty  men  and  seventeen  women, 
came  on  board  in  his  birch  canoe.  He  gave  Sir 
Henry  a  very  cordial  invitation  to  visit  his  little  set- 
tlement of  wigwams,  picturesquely  nestled  upon  the 
banks  of  the  river.  Distance  lends  enchantment  to 
the  view.  The  little  hamlet  in  a  sheltered  cove 
where  fertile  meadows  were  spread  out,  was  sur- 
rounded by  fields  waving  with  the  harvest.  From 
the  deck  of  the  ship  the  scene  presented  was  one 
of  peace,  prosperity  and  happiness.  The  smoke 
ascended  gracefully  from  the  wigwam  fires,  children 
were  sporting  upon  the  beach,  and  birch  canoes,  al- 


DISCOVERY  OF  THE   HUDSON  RIVER.  2*] 

most  as  light  as  bubbles,  were  being  rapidly  paddled 
over  the  glassy  waves. 

The  good  old  chief  took  the  English  captain 
ashore  and  led  him  into  his  palace.  It  was  a  very 
humble  edifice,  constructed  of  bark  so  carefully  over- 
lapped as  effectually  to  exclude  both  wind  and 
rain.  It  was  from  thirty  to  forty  feet  long  and 
eighteen  feet  wide.  There  was  a  door  at  each  end, 
and  ample  light  was  admitted  by  an  opening  ex- 
tending along  the  whole  length,  through  which  the 
smoke  of  the  fires  could  escape.  The  interior  was 
finished  with  great  care,  and  very  smoothly.  Un- 
der certain  states  of  the  atmosphere  and  of  the 
wind  the  smoke  freely  ascended,  causing  no  embar- 
rassment to  those  within.  The  ground  floor  was 
neatly  covered  with  mats,  except  in  the  centre 
where  the  fire  was  built.  The  whole  interior  as  Sir 
Hudson  entered  it,  on  a  serene  autumnal  day,  pre- 
sented a  very  cheerful  aspect.  One  might  easily  be 
pardoned  for  imagining,  in  that  hour,  that  the  life 
of  the  American  savage,  free  from  care,  was  appar- 
ently far  more  desirable  than  that  of  the  toil-worn 
European. 

Sir  Henry,  with  the  few  who  accompanied  him, 
was  received  with  great  hospitality.  Some  Indians 
were  immediately  sent  into  the  forest  for  a  dinner. 
They  soon  returned  with  some  pigeons  which  they 


28  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

had  shot  with  their  arrows.  A  nice  fat  puppy  was 
also  killed,  skinned  with  a  clam-shell,  and  roasted 
in  the  highest  style  of  barbaric  culinary  art.  Thick 
mats  were  provided  as  seats  for  the  guests  at  this 
royal  festival.  Hudson  was  urged  to  remain  all 
night.  He  was  evidently  a  man  of  very  cautious, 
if  not  suspicious  temperament.  He  could  not,  or 
did  not  conceal,  from  the  Indians  his  fears  that  they 
were  meditating  treachery.  These  artless  men,  to 
convince  him  that  he  had  nothing  to  apprehend, 
actually  broke  their  bows  and  arrows,  and  threw 
them  into  the  fire.  But  nothing  could  induce  Hud- 
son to  remain  on  shore  through  the  night.  He  de- 
scribes the  land  here  as  very  fertile,  bearing  abun- 
dantly, corn,  pumpkins,  grapes,  plums,  and  various 
other  kinds  of  small  fruits. 

Availing  himself  of  a  fair  wind,  he  again  spread 
his  sails,  and  on  the  1st  of  October,  cast  anchor  at 
the  mouth  of  Haverstraw  Bay,  in  the  vicinity  of 
Stony  Point.  He  had  scarcely  furled  his  sails,  when 
a  large  number  of  natives  came  paddling  out  from 
the  shore  in  their  little  birch  canoes.  They  were 
entirely  unarmed,  bringing  apparently  in  a  most 
friendly  manner,  furs,  fish  and  vegetables  for  sale. 
Soon  quite  a  little  fleet  of  these  buoyant  canoes 
were  gliding  over  the  water.  One  Indian,  paddling 
beneath  the  cabin  windows,  and  seeing  hanging  out 


DISCOVERY   OF  THE   HUDSON   RIVER.  2g 

certain  articles  pilfered  a  pillow  and  a  jacket.  As 
he  was  making  off  with  his  treasures  the  mate 
caught  sight  of  him,  and  seizing  his  gun  mercilessly 
shot  him  dead.  A  severe  punishment  for  so  trivial 
a  crime  in  an  untutored  savage. 

All  the  Indians  on  board  the  Half  Moon,  as  they 
heard  the  report  of  the  gun,  and  saw  their  unfortu- 
nate companion  fall  dead  in  his  blood,  were  stricken 
with  terror.  Some  rushed  into  their  canoes.  Oth- 
ers plunged  into  the  river  to  swim  ashore.  The 
vessel's  boat  immediately  put  off  to  pick  up  the  ca- 
noe with  the  stolen  goods.  As  it  was  returning,  a 
solitary  Indian,  in  the  water,  probably  exhausted 
and  drowning,  grasped  the  gunwale.  The  cook 
seized  a  hatchet  and  with  one  blow,  deliberately  cut 
off  the  man's  hand  at  the  wrist.  The  poor  creature, 
uttering  a  shriek,  sank  beneath  the  crimsoned  waves 
and  was  seen  no  more. 

The  next  day,  the  Half  Moon  descended  the 
river  about  twenty  miles  through  Tappan  Sea,  and 
anchored,  it  is  supposed,  near  the  head  of  Manhat- 
tan island.  Sir  Henry  Hudson  was  apparently  op 
pressed  in  some  degree  with  the  unjustifiable  harsh- 
ness with  which  he  had  treated  the  simple-hearted, 
yet  friendly  natives.  He  was  continually  and  in- 
creasingly apprehensive  of  treachery.  A  single 
canoe  containing  several  men  approached  the  ship 


30  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

Hudson's  eagle  eye  perceived  that  one  of  these  men 
was  one  of  the  captives  whom  he  had  seized,  but 
who  had  escaped  from  his  imprisonment  by  plung- 
ing into  the  river  and  swimming  ashore.  The  sight 
of  this  man  alarmed  the  captain,  and  he  refused  to 
allow  any  of  them  to  come  on  board. 

It  seems  to  us  rather  absurd  to  suppose  that 
half-a-dozen  savages  could  think  of  attacking,  from 
a  birch  canoe,  with  arrows,  a  European  ship  with  its 
well-armed  crew.  It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that 
we  have  the  narrative  from  the  white  man  only. 
The  Indians  have  had  no  opportunity  to  tell  their 
story. 

Mr.  Brodhead,  in  his  valuable  history  of  New 
York,  gives  the  following  account  of  the  untoward 
scenes  which  immediately  ensued,  compiling  from  the 
most  ancient  records : 

"But  Hudson,  perceiving  their  intent,  would 
suffer  none  of  them  to  enter  the  vessel.  Two  ca- 
noes, full  of  warriors,  then  came  under  the  stern, 
and  shot  a  flight  of  arrows  into  the  yacht.  A  few 
muskets  were  discharged  in  retaliation,  and  two  or 
three  of  the  assailants  were  killed.  Some  hundred 
Indians  then  assembled  at  the  Point  to  attack  the 
Half  Moon,  as  she  drifted  slowly  by;  but  a  cannon- 
shot  killed  two  of  them,  whereupon  the  rest  fled 
into  the  woods.     Again  the  assailants  manned  an- 


DISCOVERY   OF   THE   HUDSON   RIVER.  3 1 

other  canoe  and  again  the  attack  was  repulsed  by  a 
cannon  shot  which  destroyed  their  frail  bark;  and 
so  the  savages  went  their  way  mourning  the  loss  of 
nine  of  their  warriors.  The  yacht  then  got  down 
two  leagues  beyond  that  place,  and  anchored  over 
night  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  in  the  bay  near 
Hoboken.  Hard  by  his  anchorage  and  upon  that 
side  of  the  river  that  is  called  Mannahatta,  Hudson 
noticed  that  there  was  a  cliff  that  looked  of  the  col- 
or of  white-green.  Here  he  lay  wind-bound  the 
next  day,  and  saw  no  people  to  trouble  him.  The 
following  morning,  just  one  month  after  his  arrival 
at  Sandy  Hook,  Hudson  weighed  anchor  for  the 
last  time  and  coming  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  great 
river,  in  the  which  he  had  run  so  far,  he  set  all  sail 
and  steered  off  again  into  the  main  sea." 

It  is  very  evident  that  Sir  Henry  Hudson  was 
by  no  means  a  good  disciplinarian.  The  authority 
he  exercised  over  his  crew,  was  very  feeble.  A  mu- 
tinous spirit  began  already  to  prevail,  and  we  are 
told  that  they  threatened  him  savagely.  It  would 
appear  that  Sir  Henry  and  his  mate  wished  to  re- 
pair to  Newfoundland,  and  after  having  passed  the 
winter,  which  was  close  upon  them,  there  to  resume 
their  voyage,  in  search  of  a  northwest  passage, 
through  Davis's  Straits.  But  the  turbulent  crew 
would  not  consent      They  compelled  the  captain  to 


32  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

turn  the  prow  of  his  ship  towards  Europe.  Aftef 
the  voyage  of  a  month  the  Half  Moon  cast  anchor 
in  the  harbor  of  Dartmouth,  England,  on  the  9th 
of  November,  1609. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Sir  Henry  Hudson 
was  an  Englishman,  though  he  was  sailing  in  the  ser- 
vice of  the  Dutch  East  India  Company.  When  the 
Dutch  Directors  heard  of  his  arrival  in  England,  and 
of  the  important  discoveries  he  had  made,  they  sent 
orders  for  him  immediately  to  repair  to  Amsterdam. 
At  the  same  time  the  Dutch  government  claimed, 
by  the  right  of  discovery,  all  that  portion  of  the 
North  American  continent  along  whose  coasts  Hud- 
son had  sailed  and  upon  whose  shores  he  had  occa- 
sionally landed,  taking  possession  of  the  same  in 
the  name  of  the  Dutch  government. 

The  English  government,  jealous  of  the  advan- 
tage which  had  thus  been  gained  by  the  flag  of 
Holland,  peremptorily  forbade  Hudson  to  leave  his 
native  country;  and  for  several  months  the  Hall 
Moon  was  detained  at  Dartmouth. 


CHAPTER  II. 

The  Progress  of  Discovery 

Value  of  the  Territory  Discovered. — Fate  of  Hudson. — The  Conspir- 
acy.— Aspect  of  Manhattan  Island. — The  Trail  which  has  Widen- 
ed into  Broadway. — The  Opening  Commerce. — The  Fur  Trade 
— Visit  of  the  English  Man  of  War. — Exploring  the  Sound. — 
Commercial  Enterprise  Receives  a  New  Stimulus. — Erection  of 
Forts. — Character  of  the  Fur  Trade. 

THE  Half  Moon  was  detained  in  England  eight 
months,  and  did  not  reach  Amsterdam  until  the 
summer  of  1610.  The  Dutch  Directors,  though  dis- 
appointed in  not  finding  in  the  region  they  had  ex- 
plored the  much  hoped-for  Northwest  Passage  to 
the  Indies,  were  somewhat  elated  by  the  magnifi- 
cent discoveries  which  had  been  made.  The  terri- 
tory they  claimed,  by  virtue  of  these  discoveries, 
extended  from  the  mouth  of  the  Delaware  on  the 
South,  to  Cape  Cod  on  the  Northeast.  The  grand 
river  of  Canada,  the  St.  Lawrence,  was  deemed  its 
northern  frontier.  Its  western  boundaries  were  un- 
explored and  unknown. 

This  was  indeed  a  princely  territory  to  be  owned 
by  any  power.     The  climate  was  as  favorable  as  any 


34  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

to  be  found  upon  the  globe.  The  soil  was  fertile, 
the  landscape  being  picturesquely  diversified  by 
mountains  and  valleys.  Vast  forests,  of  the  most 
valuable  timber,  covered  immense  portions.  Wild 
fruits  and  nuts  in  great  variety  were  found  in  profu- 
sion. The  territory  was  watered  by  several  truly 
magnificent  rivers.  The  region  was  filled  with 
game  ;  and  furs,  of  the  richest  kind  and  apparently 
in  exhaustless  quantities,  could  be  purchased  of  the 
natives,  at  an  almost  nominal  price. 

It  may  be  worthy  of  notice,  that  Sir  Henry  Hud- 
son never  revisited  the  pleasant  region  which  he 
had  discovered,  and  which  he  had  pronounced  to 
be  '  as  beautiful  a  land  as  the  foot  of  man  can  tread 
upon.'  In  the  summer  of  1610,  Hudson  entered 
the  service  of  a  London  company  and  sailed  from 
the  Thames  in  the  "  Discovery,"  in  search  of  either 
a  Northwest  or  Northeast  passage  to  the  Indies. 
Passing  Iceland,  appropriately  so  called,  he  gazed 
with  astonishment  upon  Hecla  in  full  eruption, 
throwing  its  fiery  flood  and  molten  stones  into  the 
air.  Doubling  the  Cape  of  Greenland,  he  entered 
Davis's  Straits.  Through  these  he  passed  into  the 
gloomy  waters  beyond. 

After  spending  a  dismal  winter,  in  the  endurance 
of  great  privation,  exposed  to  severe  Arctic  storms, 
his  mutinous  crew  abandoned  him,  in  the  midst  of 


THE   PROGRESS   OF  DISCOVERY.  35 

fields  of  ice,  to  perish  miserably.  The  following  art- 
less account  of  this  tragedy,  which  is  taken  from  the 
lips  of  one  of  the  mutineers,  will  be  read  with  inter- 
est. The  ship  was  surrounded  with  ice  and  the 
crew  in  a  starving  condition. 

"  They  had  been  detained  at  anchor  in  the  ice,' 
says  Pricket,  %l  about  a  week,  when  the  first  signs  of 
the  mutiny  appeared.  Green,  and  Wilson  the  boat- 
swain, came  in  the  night  to  me,  as  I  was  lying  in  my 
berth  very  lame  and  told  me  that  they  and  sev- 
eral of  the  crew  had  resolved  to  seize  Hudson  and 
set  him  adrift  in  the  boat,  with  all  on  board  who 
were  disabled  by  sickness  ;  that  there  were  but  a 
few  days'  provisions  left ;  that  the  master  appeared 
entirely  irresolute,  which  way  to  go  ;  that  for  them- 
selves they  had  eaten  nothing  for  three  days.  Their 
only  hope  therefore  was  in  taking  command  of  the 
ship,  and  escaping  from  these  regions  as  quickly  as 
possible. 

"  I  remonstrated  with  them  in  the  most  earnest 
manner,  entreating  them  to  abandon  such  a  wicked 
intention.  But  all  I  could  say  had  no  effect.  It 
was  decided  that  the  plot  should  be  put  into  execu- 
tion at  daylight.  In  the  meantime  Green  went  into 
Hudson's  cabin  to  keep  him  company,  and  to  pre- 
vent his  suspicions  from  being  excited.  They  had 
determined   to  put  the  carpenter  and    John    King 


36  PETER   STU  YVES  ANT. 

into  the  boat  with  Hudson  and  the  sick,  having 
some  grudge  against  them  for  their  attachment 
to  the  master.  King  and  the  carpenter  had  slept 
on  deck  this  night,  but  about  daybreak,  King  was 
observed  to  go  down  into  the  hold  with  the  cook, 
who  was  going  for  water.  Some  of  the  mutineers 
ran  and  shut  down  the  hatch  over  them,  while 
Green  and  another  engaged  the  attention  of  the  car- 
penter, so  that  he  did  not  observe  what  was  going  on. 

"  Hudson  now  came  from  the  cabin  and  was  im- 
mediately seized  by  Thomas  and  Bennet,  the  cook, 
who  had  come  up  from  the  hold,  while  Wilson  ran 
behind  and  bound  his  arms.  He  asked  them  what 
they  meant,  and  they  told  him  that  he  would  know 
when  he  was  in  the  shallop.  Hudson  called  upon 
the  carpenter  to  help  him,  telling  him  that  he  was 
bound.  But  he  could  render  him  no  assistance  be- 
ing surrounded  by  mutineers.  The  boat  was  now 
hauled  along  side,  and  the  sick  and  lame  were  call- 
ed up  from  their  berths.  I  crawled  upon  the  deck 
as  well  as  I  could  and  Hudson,  seeing  me,  called  to 
me  to  come  to  the  hatchway  and  speak  to  him. 

"  I  entreated  the  men,  on  my  knees,  for  the  love 
of  God,  to  remember  their  duty.  But  they  only 
told  me  to  go  back  to  my  berth,  and  would  not  al- 
low me  to  have  any  communication  with  Hudson 
After  the  captain  was  put  in  the  boat,  the  carpentei 


THE   PROGRESS  OF  DISCOVERY.  37 

was  set  at  liberty ;  but  he  refused  to  remain  in  the 
ship  unless  they  forced  him.  So  they  told  him  he 
might  go  in  the  boat  and  allowed  him  to  take  his 
chest  with  him.  Before  he  got  into  the  boat,  he 
told  me  that  he  believed  they  would  soon  be  taken 
on  board  again,  as  there  was  no  one  left  who  knew 
enough  to  bring  the  ship  home.  He  thought  that 
the  boat  would  be  kept  in  tow.  We  then  took 
leave  of  each  other,  with  tears  in  our  eyes,  and  the 
carpenter  went  into  the  boat,  taking  a  musket  and 
some  powder  and  shot,  an  iron  pot,  a  small  quan- 
tity of  meal,  and  other  provisions. 

"  Hudson's  son  and  six  of  the  men  were  also  put 
into  the  boat.  The  sails  were  then  hoisted  and 
they  stood  eastward,  with  a  fair  wind,  dragging  the 
shallop  from  the  stern.  In  a  few  hours,  being  clear 
of  the  ice,  they  cut  the  rope  by  which  the  boat  was 
towed,  and  soon  after  lost  sight  of  her  forever." 

The  imagination  recoils  from  following  the  vic- 
tims thus  abandoned,  through  the  long  days  and 
nights  of  lingering  death,  from  hunger  and  from 
cold.  To  God  alone  has  the  fearful  tragedy  been 
revealed. 

The  glowing  accounts  which  Sir  Henry  Hudson 
had  given  of  the  river  he  had  discovered,  and  par- 
ticularly  of  the  rich  furs  there  to  be  obtained,  in« 
duced  the  merchants  of  Amsterdam    in   the   year 


38  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

1616  to  fit  out  a  trading  expedition  to  that  region.  A 
vessel  was  at  once  dispatched,  freighted  with  a  varie- 
ty of  goods  to  be  exchanged  for  furs.  The  enterprise 
was  eminently  successful  and  gradually  more  mi- 
nute information  was  obtained  respecting  the  terri- 
tory surrounding  the  spacious  bay  into  which  the 
Hudson  river  empties  its  flood. 

The  island  of  Manhattan,  upon  which  the  city 
of  New  York  is  now  built,  consisted  then  of  a  series 
of  forest-crowned  hills,  interspersed  with  crystal 
streamlets  and  many  small  but  beautiful  lakes. 
These  solitary  sheets  of  water  abounded  with  fish, 
and  water-fowl  of  varied  plumage.  They  were  fring- 
ed with  forests^  bluffs,  and  moss-covered  rocks.  The 
upper  part  of  the  island  was  rough,  being  much  bro- 
ken by  storm-washed  crags  and  wild  ravines,  with 
many  lovely  dells  interspersed,  fertile  in  the  extreme, 
blooming  with  flowers,  and  in  the  season,  red  with 
delicious  strawberries.  There  were  also  wild  grapes 
and  nuts  of  various  kinds,  in  great  abundance. 

The  lower  part  of  the  island  was  much  more  lev- 
el. There  were  considerable  sections  where  the 
forest  had  entirely  disappeared.  The  extended 
fields,  inviting  the  plough,  waved  with  luxuriant 
grass.  It  was  truly  a  delightful  region.  The  cli- 
mate was  salubrious ;  the  atmosphere  in  cloudless 
transparency  rivalled  the  famed  skies  of  Italy. 


THE   PROGRESS   OF  DISCOVERY.  39 

Where  the  gloomy  prison  of  the  Tombs  now 
stands,  there  was  a  lake  ot  crystal  water,  overhung 
by  towering  trees.  Its  silence  and  solitude  were 
disturbed  only  by  the  cry  of  the  water-fowl  which 
disported  upon  its  surface,  while  its  depths  sparkled 
with  the  spotted  trout.  The  lake  emptied  into  the 
Hudson  river  by  a  brook  which  rippled  over  its  peb- 
bly bed,  along  the  present  line  of  Canal  street. 
This  beautiful  lake  was  fed  by  large  springs  and  was 
sufficiently  deep  to  float  any  ship  in  the  navy.  In- 
deed it  was  some  time  before  its  bottom  could  be 
reached  by  any  sounding  line. 

There  was  a  gentle  eminence  or  ridge,  forming 
as  it  were  the  backbone  of  the  island,  along  which 
there  was  a  narrow  trail  trodden  by  the  moccasoned 
feet  of  the  Indian,  in  single  file  for  countless  gener- 
ations. Here  is  now  found  the  renowned  Broadway, 
one  of  the  busiest  thoroughfares  upon  the  surface 
of  the  globe. 

On  the  corner  of  Grand  street  and  Broadway 
there  was  a  well-wooded  hill,  from  whose  command- 
ing height  one  obtained  an  enchanting  view  of  the 
whole  island  with  its  surrounding  waters.  Amidst 
these  solitudes  there  were  many  valleys  in  whose 
peaceful  bosoms  the  weary  of  other  lands  seemed  to 
be  invited  to  take  refuge. 

Indeed  it  is  doubtful  whether  the  whole  contf. 


40  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

nent  of  North  America  presented  any  region  more 
attractive.  The  salubrity  of  its  clime,  the  beauty 
of  the  scenery,  the  abundance  and  purity  of  the  wa- 
ters, the  spacious  harbor,  the  luxuriance  of  the  soil 
and  the  unexplored  rivers  opening  communication 
with  vast  and  unknown  regions  of  the  interior,  all 
combined  in  giving  to  the  place  charrns  which  could 
not  be  exceeded  by  any  other  position  on  the  conti- 
nent. 

The  success  of  the  first  trading  vessel  was  so 
great  that,  within  three  years,  five  other  ships  were 
sent  to  the  "  Mauritius  river "  as  the  Hudson  was 
first  named.  There  was  thus  opened  a  very  brisk 
traffic  with  the  Indians  which  was  alike  beneficial  to 
both  parties.  Soon  one  or  two  small  forts  were 
erected  and  garrisoned  on  the  river  for  the  protec- 
tion of  the  traders.  Manhattan  island,  so  favorably 
situated  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  ere  long  became 
the  headquarters  of  this  commerce.  Four  log 
houses  were  built,  it  is  said,  upon  the  present  site 
of  39,  Broadway. 

Here  a  small  company  of  traders  established 
themselves  in  the  silence  and  solitude  of  the  wilder- 
ness. Their  trading  boats  ran  up  the  river,  and 
along  the  coast,  visiting  every  creek  and  inlet  in  the 
pursuit  of  furs.  The  natives,  finding  this  market 
thus  suddenly  opening  before  them,  and  finding  that 


THE   PROGRESS   OF   DISCOVERY.  41 

their  furs,  heretofore  almost  valueless,  would  p  ar- 
chase  for  them  treasures  of  civilization  of  almost 
priceless  worth,  redoubled  their  zeal  in  hunting  and 
trapping. 

A  small  Indian  settlement  sprang  up  upon  the 
spot.  Quite  large  cargoes  of  furs  were  collected 
during  the  winter  and  shipped  to  Holland  in  the 
spring.  The  Dutch  merchants  seem  to  have  been 
influenced  by  a  high  sentiment  of  honor.  The  most 
amicable  relations  existed  between  them  and  the 
Indians.  Henry  Christiaensen  was  the  superintend- 
ent of  this  feeble  colony.  He  was  a  prudent  and 
just  man,  and,  for  some  time,  the  lucrative  traffic  in 
peltry  continued  without  interruption.  The  Dutch 
merchants  were  exposed  to  no  rivalry,  for  no  Euro- 
pean vessels  but  theirs  had,  as  yet,  visited  the  Mauri- 
tius river. 

But  nothing  in  this  world  ever  long  continues 
tranquil.  The  storm  ever  succeeds  the  calm.  In 
November,  of  the  year  161 3,  Captain  Argal,  an  Eng- 
lishman, in  a  war  vessel,  looked  in  upon  the  little 
defenceless  trading  hamlet,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Hudson,  and  claiming  the  territory  as  belonging  to 
England,  compelled  Christiaensen  to  avow  fealty  to 
the  English  crown,  and  to  pay  tribute,  in  token  of 
his  dependence  upon  that  power.  Christiaensen 
could  make  no  resistance.     One  broadside  from  the 


42  PETER   ST  U  YVES  ANT. 

British  ship  would  lay  his  huts  in  ruins,  and  expose 
all  the  treasures  collected  there  to  confiscation.  He 
could  only  submit  to  the  extortion  and  send  a  nar- 
rative of  the  event  to  the  home  government. 

The  merchants  in  Holland  were  much  alarmed 
by  these  proceedings.  They  presented  a  petition 
to  the  States-General,  praying  that  those  who  dis- 
covered new  territory,  on  the  North  American  con- 
tinent, or  elsewhere,  might  enjoy  the  exclusive  right 
of  trading  with  the  inhabitants  of  those  regions 
during  six  consecutive  voyages. 

This  request  was  granted,  limiting  the  number 
of  voyages  however  to  four  instead  of  six.  In  the 
meantime  the  Dutch  merchants  erected  and  garri- 
soned two  small  forts  to  protect  themselves  from 
such  piratic  excursions  as  that  of  captain  Argal. 
In  the  year  1614  five  vessels  arrived  at  Manhattan 
to  transport  to  Europe  the  furs  which  had  been  pur- 
chased. Just  as  Captain  Block  was  preparing  to  re- 
turn, his  ship,  the  Tiger,  which  was  riding  at  anchor 
just  off  the  southern  point  of  Manhattan  island, 
took  fire,  and  was  burned  to  the  water's  edge. 

He  was  a  very  energetic  man,  not  easily  dismay 
ed  by  misfortune.  The  island  abounded  with  ad- 
mirable timber  for  ship  building.  He  immediately 
commenced  the  construction  of  another  vessel. 
This  yacht  was  forty-four  and  a  half  feet  long,  and 


THE    PROGRESS   OF   DISCOVERY.  43 

eleven  and  a  half  feet  wide.  The  natives  watched 
the  growth  of  the  stupendous  structure  with  aston- 
ishment. In  the  most  friendly  manner  they  render- 
ed efficient  aid  in  drawing  the  heavy  timber  from 
the  foiest  to  the  shipyard.  They  also  brought  in 
abundant  food  for  the  supply  of  the  strangers. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1614  the  "  Restless  ''  was 
launched.  Immediately  Captain  Block  entered  up- 
on an  exploring  tour  through  what  is  now  called  the 
East  River.  He  gave  the  whole  river  the  name  of 
the  Hellegat,  from  a  branch  of  the  river  Scheldt  in 
East  Flanders.  The  unpropitious  name  still  ad- 
heres to  the  tumultuous  point  of  whirling  eddies 
where  the  waters  of  the  sound  unite  with  those  of 
the  river. 

Coasting  along  the  narrow  portion  of  the  sound, 
he  named  the  land  upon  his  right,  which  he  did  not 
then  know  to  be  an  island,  Metoac  or  the  Land  of 
Shells.  We  should  rather  say  he  accepted  that 
name  from  the  Indians.  On  this  cruise  he  discov- 
ered the  mouths  of  the  Housatonic  and  of  the  Con- 
necticut. He  ascended  this  latter  stream,  which  he 
called  Fresh  River,  several  leagues.  Indian  villages 
were  picturesquely  scattered  along  the  shores,  and 
the  birch  canoes  of  the  Indians  were  swiftly  paddled 
over  the  mirrored  waters.  All  else  was  silence  and 
solitude      The  gloom    of  the  forest    overshadowed 


44  PETER   STUVVESANT. 

the  banks  and  the  numerous  water-fowl  were  un- 
disturbed upon  the  stream.  The  natives  were 
friendly  but  timid.  They  were  overawed  by  the 
presence  of  the  gigantic  structure  which  had  invad- 
ed their  solitude. 

Continuing  his  cruise  to  the  eastward  he  reached 
the  main  ocean,  and  thus  found  that  the  land  upon 
his  left  was  an  island,  now  known  as  Long  Island. 
Still  pressing  forward  he  discovered  the  great  Nar- 
ragansett  Bay,  which  he  thoroughly  explored,  and 
then  continued  his  course  to  Cape  Cod,  which,  it 
will  be  remembered,  Sir  Henry  Hudson  had  already 
discovered,  and  which  he  had  called  New  Holland. 

Intelligence  was  promptly  transmitted  to  Hol- 
land of  these  discoveries  and  the  United  Company, 
under  whose  auspices  the  discoveries  had  been 
made,  adopted  vigorous  measures  to  secure,  from 
the  States-General,  the  exclusive  right  to  trade  with 
the  natives  of  those  wide  realms.  A  very  emphatic 
ordinance  was  passed,  granting  this  request,  on  the 
27th  of  March,  1614. 

This  ordinance  stimulated  to  a  high  degree  the 
spirit  of  commercial  enterprise.  The  province  was 
called  New  Netherland,  and  embraced  the  territory 
within  the  40th  and  45th  degrees  of  north  latitude. 
All  persons,  excepting  the  United  "  New  Netherland 
Company,"  were  prohibited  from  trading  within  those 


THE  PROGRESS   OF  DISCOVERT.  4$ 

limits,  under  penalty  of  the  confiscation  of  both  ves« 
sels  and  cargoes,  and  also  a  fine  of  fifty  thousand 
Dutch  ducats. 

The  Company  immediately  erected  a  trading- 
house,  at  the  head  of  navigation  of  the  Hudson 
river,  which  as  we  have  mentioned,  was  then  called 
Prince  Maurice's  River.  This  house  was  on  an  isl 
and,  called  Castle  Island,  a  little  below  the  present 
city  of  Albany,  and  was  thirty-six  feet  long  and 
twenty-six  feet  wide,  and  was  strongly  built  of  logs, 
As  protection  from  European  buccaneers  rather  than 
from  the  friendly  Indians,  it  was  surrounded  by  a 
strong  stockade,  fifty  feet  square.  This  was  encir- 
cled by  a  moat  eighteen  feet  wide.  The  whole  was 
defended  by  several  cannon  and  was  garrisoned  by 
twelve  soldiers. 

This  port,  far  away  in  the  loneliness  of  the  wil- 
derness, was  called  Fort  Nassau.  Jacob  Elkins  was 
placed  in  command.  Now  that  the  majestic  Hudson 
is  whitened  with  the  sails  of  every  variety  of  vessels 
and  barges,  while  steamers  go  rushing  by,  swarm- 
ing with  multitudes,  which  can  scarcely  be  counted, 
of  the  seekers  of  wealth  or  pleasures,  and  railroad 
trains  sweep  thundering  over  the  hills  and  through 
the  valleys,  and  the  landscape  is  adorned  with  pop- 
ulous cities  and  beautiful  villas,  it  is  difficult  to  form 
a  conception  of  the  silence  and  solitude  of  those  re- 


46  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

gions  but  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago, 
when  the  tread  of  the  moccasoned  Indian  fell  noise* 
less  upon  the  leafy  trail,  and  when  the  birch  canoe 
alone  was  silently  paddled  from  cove  to  cove. 

In  addition  to  the  fort  in  the  vicinity  of  Albany, 
another  was  erected  at  the  southern  extremity  of 
Manhattan  Island  at  the  mouth  of  the  Hudson. 
Here  the  company  established  its  headquarters  and 
immediately  entered  into  a  very  honorable  and  lu- 
crative traffic  with  the  Indians,  for  their  valuable 
furs.  The  leaders  of  the  Company  were  men  of  in- 
tegrity, and  the  Indians  were  all  pleased  with  the 
traffic,  for  they  were  ever  treated  with  consideration, 
and  received  for  their  furs,  which  they  easily  ob- 
tained, articles  which  were  of  priceless  value  to 
them. 

The  vagabond  white  men,  who  were  lingering 
about  the  frontiers  of  civilization,  inflicting  innu- 
merable and  nameless  outrages  upon  the  i.atives, 
were  rigorously  excluded  from  these  regions.  Thus 
the  relations  existing  between  the  Indians  ar  &  their 
European  visitors  were  friendly  in  the  highest  de- 
gree. Both  parties  were  alike  benefited  by  this 
traffic  ;  the  Indian  certainly  not  less  than  the  Eu« 
ropean,  for  he  was  receiving  into  his  lowly  wigwam 
the  products  of  the  highest  civilization. 

Indian  tribes  scattered  far  and  wide  through  the 


THE   PROGRESS   OF  DISCOVERY.  4; 

primitive  and  illimitable  forest,  plied  all  their  ener 
gies  with  new  diligence,  in  taking  game.  They 
climbed  the  loftiest  mountains  and  penetrated  the 
most  distant  streams  with  their  snares.  Some  came 
trudging  to  the  forts  on  foot,  with  large  packs  of 
peltries  upon  their  backs.  Others  came  in  their 
birch  canoes,  loaded  to  the  gunwales,  having  set 
their  traps  along  leagues  of  the  river's  coast  and  of 
distant  streams. 

Once  a  year  the  ships  of  the  company  came 
laden  with  the  most  useful  articles  for  traffic  with 
the  Indians,  and,  in  return,  transported  back  to 
Europe  the  furs  which  had  been  collected.  Such 
were  the  blessings  which  peace  and  friendship  con- 
ferred upon  all.  There  seemed  to  be  no  temptation 
to  outrage.  The  intelligent  Hollanders  were  well 
aware  that  it  was  for  their  interest  to  secure  the 
confidence  of  the  Indian  by  treating  him  justly. 
And  the  Indian  was  not  at  all  disposed  to  incur  the 
resentment  of  strangers  from  whom  he  was  receiving 
such  great  benefits. 

The  little  yacht  "  Restless,"  of  which  we  have 
spoken,  on  one  of  her  exploring  tours,  visited  Del- 
aware Bay,  and  ascended  that  beautiful  sheet  of 
water  as  far  as  the  Schuylkill  River.  Runners  were 
also  sent  back  from  the  forts,  to  follow  the  narrow 
trails  far  into   the   woods,  to  open  communication 


48  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

with  new  tribes,  to  examine  the  country,  and  to 
obtain  a  more  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  man- 
ners and  customs  of  the  Indians. 

In  the  spring  of  1617  a  very  high  freshet,  accom- 
panied by  the  breaking  up  of  the  ice,  so  injured 
Fort  Nassau  that  the  traders  were  compelled  to 
abandon  it.  A  new  and  very  advantageous  situation 
was  selected,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Tawasentha 
Creek,  subsequently  called  Norman's  Kill.  This 
name  is  said  to  have  been  derived  from  a  native  of 
Denmark,  called  the  Norman,  who  settled  there  in 
1630. 

In  this  vicinity  there  was  a  very  celebrated  con- 
federation of  Indian  tribes  called  the  Five  Nations. 
These  tribes  were  the  Mohawks,  Oneidas,  Onon- 
dagas,  Cayugas  and  Senecas.  They  were  frequently 
known  by  the  generic  name  of  the  Iroquois.  When 
the  Dutch  arrived,  the  Iroquois  were  at  war  with 
the  Canadian  Indians,  who,  though  composed  of 
different  tribes,  were  known  by  the  general  name  of 
the  Algonquins.  The  Iroquois  had  been  worsted  in 
several  conflicts.  This  led  them  eagerly  to  seek 
alliance  with  the  white  men,  who,  with  their  won- 
derful instruments  of  war,  seemed  to  wield  the  ener* 
gies  of  thunder  and  lightning. 

The  Algonquins  had,  some  years  before,  formed 
an  alliance  with  the  French  in  Canada.     The  Iro« 


THE  PROGRESS  OF  DISCOVERY.  49 

quois  now  entered  into  an  alliance  with  the  Dutch. 
It  was  a  very  important  movement,  and  the  treaty 
took  place,  with  many  surroundings  of  barbaric 
pomp,  on  the  banks  of  the  Norman's  Kill. 

Ambassadors  from  each  of  the  five  tribes  graced 
the  occasion.  Leading  chiefs  of  several  other  tribes 
were  also  invited  to  be  present,  to  witness  the  im- 
posing ceremony.  The  garrison  furnished  for  the 
pageant  the  waving  of  silken  banners  and  the  exhil- 
arating music  of  its  band.  The  Indian  chiefs  at- 
tended with  their  decorated  weapons,  and  they  were 
arrayed  in  the  richest  costume  of  war  paint,  fringed 
garments,  and  nodding  plumes. 

The  assembly  was  large.  The  belt  of  peace, 
gorgeously  embroidered  with  many-colored  beads,  on 
softly-tanned  deer  skin,  was  held  at  one  end  by  the 
Iroquois  chieftains,  and  at  the  other  by  the  promi- 
nent men  of  the  Dutch  Company,  in  their  most 
showy  attire.  The  pipe  of  peace  was  smoked  with 
solemn  gravity.  The  tomahawk  was  buried,  and 
each  party  pledged  itself  to  eternal  friendship. 

The  united  nation  cf  the  Iroquois,  in  numbers 
and  valor,  had  become  quite  supreme  throughout 
all  this  region.  All  the  adjacent  tribes  bowed 
before  their  supremacy.  In  Mr.  Street's  metrical 
romance,  entitled  "  Frontenac,"  he  speaks,  in  pleas- 


50  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

ing  verse,  of  the  prowess  and  achievements  of  these 
formidable  warriors. 

"  The  fierce  Adirondacs  had  fled  from  their  wrath, 
The  Hurons  been  swept  from  their  merciless  path, 
Around,  the  Ottawas,  like  leaves,  had  been  strown, 
And  the  lake  of  the  Eries  struck  silent  and  lone. 
The  Lenape,  lords  once  of  valley  and  hill, 
Made  women,  bent  low  at  their  conquerors'  will. 
By  the  far  Mississippi  the  Illini  shrank 
When  the  trail  of  the  Tortoise  was  seen  on  the  bank. 
On  the  hills  of  New  England  the  Pequod  turned  pale 
When  the  howl  of  the  Wolf  swelled  at  night  on  the  gale, 
And  the  Cherokee  shook,  in  his  green  smiling  bowers, 
When  the  foot  of  the  Bear  stamped  his  carpet  of  flowers." 

Thus  far  the  Iroquois  possessed  only  bows  and 
arrows.  They  were  faithful  to  their  promises,  and 
implicit  confidence  could  be  reposed  in  their  pledge. 
The  Dutch  traders,  without  any  fear,  penetrated  the 
wilderness  in  all  directions,  and  were  invariably  hos- 
pitably received  in  the  wigwams  of  the  Indians. 

In  their  traffic  the  Dutch  at  first  exchanged  for 
furs  only  articles  of  ornament  or  of  domestic  value. 
But  the  bullet  was  a  far  more  potent  weapon  in  the 
chase  and  in  the  hunting-field  than  the  arrow.  The 
Indians  very  soon  perceived  the  vast  advantage  they 
would  derive  in  their  pursuit  of  game,  from  the 
musket,  as  well  as  the  superiority  it  would  give 
them  over  all  their  foes.  They  consequently  be- 
came very  eager  to  obtain  muskets,  powder  and 
ball.     They  were  warm  friends  of  the  Europeans 


THE   PROGRESS   OF  DISCOVERY.  5 1 

There  seemed  to  be  no  probability  of  their  becom- 
ing enemies.  Muskets  and  steel  traps  enabled  them 
to  obtain  many  more  furs.  Thus  the  Indians  were 
soon  furnished  with  an  abundant  supply  of  fire-arms 
and  became  unerring  marksmen. 

Year  after  year  the  returns  from  the  trading- 
posts  became  more  valuable ;  and  the  explorations 
were  pushed  farther  and  farther  into  the  interior. 
The  canoes  of  the  traders  penetrated  the  wide 
realms  watered  by  the  upper  channels  of  the  Del- 
aware. A  trading-house  was  also  erected  in  the 
vast  forest,  upon  the  Jersey  shore  of  the  Hudson 
River,  where  the  thronged  streets  of  Jersey  City  at 
the  present  hour  cover  the  soil. 

We  have  now  reached  the  year  1618,  two  yea»s 
before  the  arrival  of  the  Pilgrims  at  Plymouth. 
Though  the  energetic  Dutch  merchants  were  thus 
perseveringly  and  humanely  pushing  their  commerce, 
and  extending  their  trading  posts,  no  attempt  had 
yet  been  made  for  any  systematic  agricultural  colo- 
nization. 

The  Dutch  alone  had  then  any  accurate  knowl- 
edge of  the  Hudson  River,  or  of  the  coasts  of  Con- 
necticut, Rhode  Island,  and  Long  Island.  In  1618 
the  special  charter  of  the  Company,  confening  upon 
them  the  monopoly  of  exclusive  trade  with  the 
Indians,    expired.       Though    the    trade   was    thus 


52  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

thrown  open  to  any  adventurous  Dutch  merchant, 
still  the  members  of  the  Company  enjoyed  an  im- 
mense advantage  in  having  all  the  channels  per- 
fectly understood  by  them,  and  in  being  in  posses- 
sion of  such  important  posts. 

English  fishing  vessels  visited  the  coast  of  Maine, 
and  an  unsuccessful  attempt  had  been  made  to 
establish  a  colony  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kennebec 
River.  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  had  also  made  a  very 
vigorous  but  unavailing  effort  t'o  establish  a  colony 
in  Virginia.  Before  the  year  1600,  every  vestige  of 
his  attempt  had  disappeared.  Mr.  John  Romeyn 
Brodhead,  in  his  valuable  history  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  speaking  of  this  illustrious  man,  says : 

u  The  colonists,  whom  Raleigh  sent  to  the  island 
of  Roanoke  in  1585,  under  Grenville  and  Lane, 
returned  the  next  year  dispirited  to  England.  A 
second  expedition,  dispatched  in  1587,  under  John 
White,  to  found  the  borough  of  Raleigh,  in  Vir- 
ginia, stopped  short  of  the  unexplored  Chesapeake, 
whither  it  was  bound,  and  once  more  occupied 
Roanoke.  In  1590  the  unfortunate  emigrants  had 
wholly  disappeared ;  and  with  their  extinction  all 
immediate  attempts  to  establish  an  English  colony 
in  Virginia  were  abandoned.  Its  name  alone  sur- 
vived. 

M  After   impoverishing    himself    in    unsuccessful 


THE   PROGRESS   OF  DISCOVERY.  53 

efforts  to  add  an  effective  American  plantation  to 
his  native  kingdom,  Raleigh,  the  magnanimous 
patriot,  was  consigned,  under  an  unjust  judgment, 
to  lingering  imprisonment  in  the  Tower  of  London, 
to  be  followed,  after  the  lapse  of  fifteen  years,  by  a 
still  more  iniquitous  execution.  Yet  returning  jus- 
tice has  fully  vindicated  Raleigh's  fame.  And 
nearly  two  centuries  after  his  death  the  State  of 
North  Carolina  gratefully  named  its  capital  after 
that  extraordinary  man,  who  united  in  himself  as 
many  kinds  of  glory  as  were  ever  combined  in.  any 
individual." 


CHAPTER  III. 

The  Commencement  of  Colonization. 

The  Puritans. — Memorial  to  the  States-General. — Disagreement  of 
the  English  and  the  Dutch. — Colony  on  the  Delaware. — Purchase 
of  Manhattan. — The  First  Settlement. — An  Indian  Robbed  and 
Murdered. —  Description  of  the  Island. —  Diplomatic  Inter- 
course.— Testimony  of  De  Rassieres. — The  Patroons. — The  Dis- 
aster at  Swaanendael. 

In  the  year  1620  the  Puritans  founded  their 
world-renowned  colony  at  Plymouth,  as  we  have 
minutely  described  in  the  History  of  Miles  Standish. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  the  original  company  of 
Puritans  were  of  English  birth.  Dissatisfied  with 
the  ritual  and  ceremonies  which  the  Church  of 
England  had  endeavored  to  impose  upon  them,  they 
had  emigrated  to  Holland,  where  they  had  formed  a 
church  upon  their  own  model.  Rev.  John  Robinson, 
a  man  of  fervent  piety  and  of  enlightened  views 
above  his  times,  was  their  pastor. 

After  residing  in  Holland  for  several  years,  this 
little  band  of  Englishmen,  not  pleased  with  that 
country  as  their  permanent  abode,  decided  to  seek  a 
new  home  upon  the  continent  of  North  America. 


THE  COMMENCEMENT   OF  COLONIZATION.        55 

They  first  directed  their  attention  towards  Virginia, 
but  various  obstacles  were  thrown  in  their  way  by 
the  British  Government,  and  at  length  Mr.  Robinson 
addressed  a  letter  to  the  Dutch  Company,  intimating 
the  disposition  felt  by  certain  members  of  his  flock, 
to  take  up  their  residence  at  New  Netherlands 

The  proposition  was  very  cordially  received. 
The  intelligent  gentlemen  of  that  Company  at  once 
saw  that  there  was  thus  presented  to  them  an  oppor- 
tunity to  establish  a  colony,  at  their  trading  post, 
which  it  would  be  wise  to  embrace.  They  therefore 
addressed  a  memorial  upon  the  subject  to  the  States- 
General,  and  to  the  Prince  of  Orange,  in  which  they 
urged  the  importance  of  accepting  the  proposition 
which  they  had  received  from  Mr.  Robinson,  and  of 
thus  commencing  an  agricultural  colony  upon  the 
island  of  Manhattan.  In  this  memorial  they  write 
under  date  of  February,  1620: 

"  It  now  happens  that  there  resides  at  Leyden 
an  English  clergyman,  well  versed  in  the  Dutch  lan- 
guage, who  is  favorably  inclined  to  go  and  dwell 
there.  Your  petitioners  are  assured  that  he  knows 
more  than  four  hundred  families,  who,  provided  they 
were  defended  and  secured  there  by  your  Royal 
Highness,  and  that  of  the  High  and  Mighty  Lords 
States-General,  from  all  violence  on  the  part  of  other 
potentates,  would   depart  thither,  with   him,  from 


56  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

this  country  and  from  England,  to  plant,  forthwith, 
everywhere  the  true  and  pure  christian  religion ;  to 
instruct  the  Indians  of  those  countries  in  the  true 
doctrine;  to  bring  them  to  the  christian  belief;  and 
likewise,  through  the  grace  of  the  Lord,  and  for  the 
greater  honor  of  the  rulers  of  this  land  to  people  all 
that  region  under  a  new  dispensation  ;  all  under  the 
order  and  command  of  your  princely  Highness  and 
of  the  High  and  Mighty  Lords  States-General. 

"Your  petitioners  have  also  learned  that  His 
Britannic  Majesty  is  inclined  to  people  the  afore- 
said lands  with  Englishmen ;  to  destroy  your  peti- 
tioners* possessions  and  discoveries,  and  also  to 
deprive  this  State  of  its  right  to  these  lands,  while 
the  ships  belonging  to  this  country,  which  are  there 
during  the  whole  of  the  present  year,  will  apparently 
and  probably  be  surprised  by  the  English." 

The  petitioners  therefore  prayed  that  the  re- 
quest of  Mr.  Robinson  might  be  favorably  regard- 
ed ;  that  the  contemplated  colony  should  be  taken 
under  the  protection  of  the  Dutch  government, 
and  that  two  ships  of  war  should  be  sent  out  for  the 
defencr  of  the  infant  settlements. 

The  Dutch  government  was  then  upon  the  eve 
of  a  war  with  Spain,  and  all  its  energies  were  de- 
manded in  preparation  for  the  conflict.  They  there- 
fore q*  ute  peremptorily  refused  to  entertain  thepeti- 


THE  COMMENCEMENT  OF  COLONIZATION.       57 

tion  of  the  New  Netherland  Company.  Thus  the 
destination  of  the  Puritans  was  changed.  Though 
they  were  not  encouraged  to  commence  their  colo- 
nial life  at  New  Netherland,  still  it  was  their  inten- 
tion when  they  sailed  from  England,  to  find  a  home 
somewhere  in  that  vicinity,  as  England,  as  well 
as  Holland,  claimed  the  whole  coast.  A  note,  in 
the  History  of  New  Netherland,  by  E.  B.  O'Calla- 
ghan,  contains  the  following  interesting  statement 
upon  this  subject  : 

"  Some  historians  represent  that  the  Pilgrims 
were  taken  against  their  will  to  New  Plymouth,  by 
the  treachery  of  the  captain  of  the  Mayflower,  who, 
they  assert,  was  bribed  by  the  Dutch  to  land  them 
at  a  distance  from  the  Hudson  river.  This  has  been 
shown,  over  and  over  again,  to  have  been  a  calumny ; 
and,  if  any  farther  evidence  were  requisite,  it  is  now 
furnished,  of  a  most  conclusive  nature,  by  the  peti- 
tion in  behalf  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Robinson's  congre- 
gation, of  Feb.  1620,  and  the  rejection  of  its  prayer 
by  their  High  Mightinesses. 

"  That  the  Dutch  were  anxious  to  secure  the  set- 
tlement of  the  Pilgrims  under  them,  is  freely  admit- 
ted by  the  latter.  Governor  Bradford,  in  his  Histo- 
ry of  the  Plymouth  Colony,  acknowledges  it,  and 
adds  that  the  Dutch  for  that  end  made  them  large 
offers. 

3* 


58  PETER   STUYVESANT, 

"  Winslow  corroborates  this  in  his  '  Brief  Narra- 
tive/ and  adds  that  the  Dutch  would  have  freely 
transported  us  to  the  Hudson  river,  and  furnished 
every  family  with  cattle.  The  whole  of  this  evi- 
dence satisfactorily  establishes  the  good  will  of  the 
Dutch  people  towards  the  English ;  while  the  de- 
termination of  the  States -General  proves  that  there 
was  no  encouragement  held  out  by  the  Dutch  gov- 
ernment to  induce  them  to  settle  in  their  American 
possessions.  On  the  contrary,  having  formally  re- 
jected their  petition,  they  thereby  secured  them- 
selves against  all  suspicion  of  dealing  unfairly  by 
those  who  afterwards  landed  at  Cape  Cod.  It  is  to 
be  hoped,  therefore,  that  even  for  the  credit  of  the 
Pilgrims,  the  idle  tale  will  not  be  repeated." 

There  were  many  indications  that  a  conflict 
would  ere  long  arise  between  the  Dutch  and  the 
English.  The  English  repudiated  entirely  the 
Dutch  claim  to  any  right  of  possession  on  the  Atlan- 
tic coast.  They  maintained  their  right  to  the  whole 
American  coast,  from  the  Spanish  possessions  in  Flor- 
ida, to  the  French  posts  in  Canada.  The  English 
government  founded  its  claim  upon  the  ground  of 
first  discovery,  occupation  and  possession.  Various 
companies,  in  England,  had,  by  charters  and  letters 
patent  from  their  sovereigns,  been  entrusted  with 
these  vast  territories.     It   was   quite    evident   that 


THE   COMMENCEMENT   OF  COLONIZATION.        5g 

these  conflicting  claims  between  England  and  Hoi 
land  must  eventually  lead  to  collision. 

The  Dutch  merchants  continued  to  push  theif 
commercial  enterprises  in  New  Netherland  with  great 
energy.  They  were  preparing  to  send  quite  a  large 
fleet  of  merchant  vessels  to  the  extensive  line  of 
coast  which  they  claimed,  when  the  British  mer- 
chants composing  what  was  called  the  Plymouth 
Company,  took  the  alarm,  and  presented  a  petition 
to  James  I.,  remonstrating  against  such  proceedings. 
The  British  government  promptly  sent  an  ambas- 
sador to  Holland  to  urge  the  States-General  to  pro- 
hibit the  departure  of  the  fleet,  and  to  forbid  the  es- 
tablishment of  a  Dutch  colony  in  those  regions. 
The  diplomacy  which  ensued  led  to  no  decisive  re- 
sults. 

In  the  year  1623,  the  Dutch  sent  a  ship,  under 
captain  May,  and  established  a  small  colony  upon 
the  eastern  banks  of  the  Delaware,  about  fifty  miles 
from  its  mouth.  The  settlement,  which  consisted  of 
about  thirty  families,  was  in  the  vicinity  of  the  pres- 
ent town  of  Gloucester.  A  fortress  was  erected, 
called  Fort  Nassau.  This  was  the  first  European 
settlement  upon  the  Delaware,  which  stream  was 
then  called  Prince  Hendrick's,  or  South  River. 
Another  fortified  post,  called  Fort  Orange,  was  es-. 
tablished  upon  the  western   banks  of  the  Hudsoo 


6b  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

River  about  thirty-six  miles  from  the  island  of  Man- 
hattan. 

Very  slowly  the  tide  of  emigration  began  to  flow 
towards  the  Hudson.  A  few  families  settled  on 
Staten  Island.  Not  pleased  with  their  isolated  lo- 
cation, they  soon  removed  to  the  northern  shore  of 
Long  Island,  and  reared  their  log  cabins  upon  the 
banks  of  a  beautiful  bay,  which  they  called  Wahle- 
Bocht,  or  "  the  Bay  of  the  Foreigners."  The  name 
has  since  been  corrupted  into  Wallabout.  The 
western  extremity  of  Long  Island  was  then  called 
Breukelen,  which  has  since  been  Anglicised  into 
Brooklyn. 

The  government  of  these  feeble  communities 
was  committed  to  a  Governor,  called  Director,  and  a 
Council  of  five  men.  One  of  the  first  Governors  was 
Peter  Minuit,  who  was  appointed  in  the  year  1624. 
The  English  still  claimed  the  territory  which  the 
Dutch  were  so  quietly  and  efficiently  settling.  In 
the  year  1626,  the  Dutch  decided  to  make  a  per- 
manent settlement  upon  Manhattan  island,  which  was 
then  estimated  to  contain  about  twenty-two  thou- 
sand acres  of  land.  The  island  was  purchased  of  the 
natives  for  twenty-four  dollars.  It  was  all  that,  at 
that  time,  the  savage  wilderness  was  worth.  In 
that  year  the  export  of  furs  amounted  to  nineteen 
thousand  dollars. 


THE  COMMENCEMENT  OF  COLONIZATION.       6l 

The  colony  soon  numbered  about  two  hundred 
persons.  The  village  consisted  of  thirty  log  houses^ 
extending  along  the  banks  of  the  East  River.  These 
cabins  were  one  story  high,  with  thatched  roof,  wood- 
en chimneys,  and  two  rooms  on  the  floor.  Barrels, 
placed  on  an  end,  furnished  the  tables.  The  chairs 
were  logs  of  wood.  Undoubtedly  in  many  of  these 
humble  homes  more  true  happiness  was  found  than 
is  now  experienced  in  some  of  the  palatial  mansions 
which  grace  the  gorgeous  avenues  of  the  city. 
About  this  time  three  ships  arrived,  containing  a 
large  number  of  families  with  farming  implements, 
and  over  a  hundred  head  of  cattle.  To  prevent  the 
cattle  from  being  lost  in  the  woods,  they  were  pas- 
tured on  Governor's,  then  called  Nutten's  Island. 

And  now  the  tide  of  emigration  began  pretty 
rapidly  to  increase.  The  Dutch  transported  emi- 
grants for  twelve  and  a  half  cents  a  day,  during  the 
voyage,  for  both  passage  and  food.  They  also  gave 
them,  upon  reaching  the  colony,  as  much  land  as 
they  were  able  to  cultivate.  With  a  wise  toleration, 
which  greatly  honored  them,  the  fullest  religious 
freedom  of  speech  and  worship  was  allowed. 

A  strong  block-house,  surrounded  with  palisadeg 
of  red  cedar,  was  thrown  up  on  the  south  point  of 
Manhattan  Island,  and  was  called  Fort  Amsterdam. 
This  became  the  headquarters   of  the  government 


62  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

and  the  capital  of  the  extended,  though  not  very 
clearly  defined,  realm  of  New  Netherland. 

An  unfortunate  occurrence  now  took  place  which 
eventually  involved  the  colony  in  serious  trouble. 
An  Indian,  from  the  vicinity  of  Westchester,  came 
with  his  nephew,  a  small  boy,  bringing  some  beaver 
skins  to  barter  with  the  Dutch  at  the  fort.  The 
narrow  trail  through  the  forest,  led  in  a  southeast 
direction,  along  the  shore  of  the  East  River,  till  it 
reached  what  was  called  Kip's  Bay.  Then,  diverging 
to  the  west,  it  passed  near  the  pond  of  fresh  water 
which  was  about  half  way  between  what  are  now 
Broadway  and  Chatham  streets.  This  pond,  for  a  cen< 
tury  or  more,  was  known  as  the  Kolck  or  the  Col- 
lect. 

When  the  Indians  reached  this  point,  they  were 
waylaid  by  three  white  men,  robbed  of  their  furs, 
and  the  elder  one  was  murdered.  The  boy  made 
his  escape  and  returned  to  his  wilderness  home,  vow- 
ing to  revenge  the  murder  of  his  uncle.  It  does  not 
appear  that  the  Dutch  authorities  were  informed  of 
this  murder.  They  certainly  did  not  punish  the 
murderers,  nor  make  any  attempt  to  expiate  the 
crime,  by  presents  to  the  Indians. 

"  The  island  of  Manhattan,"  wrote  De  Rassieres 
at  this  time,  "  is  full  of  trees  ana  in  the  middle  rocky. 
On  the  north  side  there  is  good  land  in  two  places, 


THE   COMMENCEMENT   OF   COLONIZATION.       6$ 

where  two  farmers,  each  with  four  horses,  would 
have  enough  to  do  without  much  grubbing  or  clear- 
ing at  first.  The  grass  is  good  in  the  forests  and 
valleys ;  but  when  made  into  hay,  it  is  not  so  nutri- 
tious for  the  cattle  as  the  hay  in  Holland,  in  conse- 
quence of  its  wild  state,  yet  it  annually  improves  by 
culture. 

"On  the  east  side  there  rises  a  large  level  field, 
of  about  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  through 
which  runs  a  very  fine  fresh  stream ;  so  that  land 
can  be  ploughed  without  much  clearing.  It  appears 
to  be  good.  The  six  farms,  four  of  which  lie  along 
the  river  Hell-gate,  stretching  to  the  south  side  of 
the  island,  have  at  least  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  to  be  sown  with  winter  seed,  which,  at  the 
most,  may  have  been  ploughed  eight  times." 

There  were  eighteen  families  at  Fort  Orange, 
which  was  situated  on  Tawalsoutha  creek,  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Hudson  river,  about  thirty-six 
Dutch  miles  above  the  island  of  Manhattan.  These 
colonists  built  themselves  huts  of  bark,  and  lived  on 
terms  of  cordial  friendship  with  the  Indians.  Was- 
senaar  writes,  "  The  Indians  were  as  quiet  as  lambs, 
and  came  and  traded  with  all  the  freedom  imagin- 
able." 

The  Puritans  had  now  been  five  years  at  Ply- 
mouth.    So    little  were  they   acquainted  with    the 


64  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

geography  cf  the  country  that  they  supposed  New 
England  to  be  an  island.*  Floating  rumors  had 
reached  them  of  the  Dutch  colony  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Hudson.  Governor  Bradford  commissioned  Mr. 
Winslow  to  visit  the  Dutch,  who  had  sent  a  ship 
to  Narragansett  bay  to  trade,  that  he  might  dis- 
suade them  from  encroaching  in  their  trade  upon  ter- 
ritory which  the  Puritans  considered  as  exclusively 
belonging  to  them.  Mr.  Winslow  failed  to  meet  the 
Dutch  before  their  vessel  had  sailed  on  its  return  to 
Manhattan. 

Soon  after  this  the  Dutch  Governor,  Peter 
Minuit,  sent  secretary  De  Rassieres  to  Governor 
Bradford,  with  a  very  friendly  letter,  congratulating 
the  Plymouth  colony  upon  its  prosperity,  inviting  to 
commercial  relations,  and  offering  to  supply  their 
English  neighbors  with  any  commodities  which  they 
might  want. 

Governor  Bradford,  in  his  reply,  very  cordially 
reciprocated  these  friendly  greetings.  Gracefully  he 
alluded  to  the  hospitality  with  which  the  exiled  Pil- 
grims had  been  received  in  Holland.  "  Many  of 
us,"  he  wrote,  "  are  tied  by  the  good  and  courteous 
entreaty  which  we  have  found  in  your  country, 
having  lived  there  many  years  with  freedom  and 
good  content,  as  many  of  our  friends  do  this  day  ; 

*  Winslow  in  Young  (p.  371). 


COMMENCEMENT  OF  COLONIZATION.       65 

for  which  we  are  bound  to  be  thankful,  and  our 
children  after  us,  and  shall  never  forget  the  same." 

At  the  same  time  he  claimed  that  the  territory, 
north  of  forty  degrees  of  latitude,  which  included  a 
large  part  of  New  Netherland,  and  all  their  Hudson 
river  possessions,  belonged  to  the  English.  Still  he 
promised  that,  for  the  sake  of  good  neighborhood, 
the  English  would  not  molest  the  Dutch  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Hudson,  if  they  would  "  forbear  to 
trade  with  the  natives  in  this  bay  and  river  of  Nar- 
ragansett  and  Sowames,  which  is,  as  it  were,  at  our 
doors." 

The  authorities  at  Fort  Amsterdam  could  not, 
for  a  moment,  admit  this  claim  of  English  supremacy 
over  New  Netherland.  Director  Minuit  returned 
an  answer,  remarkable  for  its  courteous  tone,  but  in 
which  he  firmly  maintained  the  right  of  the  Dutch 
to  trade  with  the  Narragansetts  as  they  had  done 
for  years,  adding  "As  the  English  claim  authority 
under  the  king  of  England,  so  we  derive  ours  from 
the  States  of  Holland,  and  we  shall  defend  it." 

Governor  Bradford  sent  this  correspondence  to 
England.  In  an  accompanying  document  he  said, 
"  the  Dutch,  for  strength  of  men  and  fortification, 
far  exceed  us  in  all  this  land.  They  have  used  trad- 
ing here  for  six  or  seven  and  twenty  years  ;  but 
have  begun  to  plant  of  later  time  ;  and  now  have  re- 


66  PETER   STUYVESA&T. 

duced  their  trade  to  some  order,  and  confined  it 
only  to  their  company,  which,  heretofore,  was  spoil- 
ed by  their  seamen  and  interlopers,  as  ours  is,  this 
year  most  notoriously.  Besides  spoiling  our  trade, 
the  Dutch  continue  to  sell  muskets,  powder  and  shot 
to  the  Indians,  which  will  be  the  overthrow  of  all,  if 
it  be  not  looked  into." 

Director  Minuit  must  have  possessed  some  very 
noble  traits  of  character.  After  waiting  three 
months  to  receive  a  reply  to  his  last  communication, 
he  sent  another  letter,  reiterating  the  most  friendly 
sentiments,  and  urging  that  an  authorized  agent 
should  be  sent  from  Plymouth  to  New  Amsterdam, 
to  confer  "  by  word  of  mouth,  touching  our  mutual 
.commerce  and  trading."  He  stated,  moreover,  that 
if  it  were  inconvenient  for  Governor  Bradford  to 
send  such  an  agent,  they  would  depute  one  to  Ply- 
mouth themselves.  In  further  token  of  kindness,  he 
sent  to  the  Plymouth  Governor,  "  a  rundlet  of  sugar 
and  two  Holland  cheeses." 

It  is  truly  refreshing  to  witness  the  fraternal 
spirit  manifested  on  this  occasion.  How  many  of 
the  woes  of  this  world  might  have  been  averted 
had  the  brotherhood  of  man  been  thus  recognized 
by  the  leaders  of  the  nations ! 

A  messenger  was  sent  to  Plymouth.  He  was 
hospitably  entertained,  and    returned  to  Fort  Am- 


THE  COMMENCEMENT   OF   COLONIZATION.       6j 

sUrdam  with  such  testimonials  of  his  reception  as 
induced  Director  Minuit  to  send  a  formal  ambassa- 
dor to  Plymouth,  entrusted  with  plenipotentiary 
powers.  Governor  Bradford  apologized  for  not 
sending  an  ambassador  to  Fort  Amsterdam,  stating, 
"  one  of  our  boats  is  abroad,  and  we  have  much  busi- 
ness at  home."  Director  Minuit  selected  Isaac  De 
Rassieres,  secretary  of  the  province,  "  a  man  of  fair 
and  genteel  behavior,''  as:  his  ambassador.  This 
movement  was,  to  those  infant  colonies,  an  event  of 
as  much  importance  as  any  of  the  more  stately  em- 
bassies which  have  been  interchanged  between 
European  courts. 

The  barque  Nassau  was  fitted  out,  and  manned 
with  a  small  band  of  soldiers,  and  some  trumpeters. 
It  was  the  last  of  September,  1629,  when  earth  and 
sky  were  bathed  in  all  the  glories  of  New  England 
autumnal  days.  In  De  Rassieres'  account  of  the 
excursion,  he  writes : 

"  Sailing  through  Hell-gate,  and  along  the  shores 
of  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island,  we  arrived,  early 
the  next  month,  off  Frenchman's  Point,  at  a  small 
river  where  those  of  New  Plymouth  have  a  house4 
made  of  hewn  oak  planks,  called  Aptuxet ;  where 
they  keep  two  men,  winter  and  summer,  in  order  to 
maintain  the  trade  and  possession." 

This  Aptuxet  was  at  the  head  of  Buzzard's  Bay, 


68  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

upon  the  site  of  the  present  village  of  Monumet,  in 
the  town  of  Sandwich.  Near  by  there  was  a  creek, 
penetrating  the  neck  of  Cape  Cod,  which  approach- 
ed another  creek  on  the  other  side  so  near  that,  by 
a  portage  of  but  about  five  miles,  goods  could  be 
transported  across. 

As  the  Nassau  came  in  sight  of  this  lonely  trad- 
ing port  suddenly  the  peals  of  the  Dutch  trumpets 
awoke  the  echoes  of  the  forest.  It  was  the  4th  of 
October.  A  letter  was  immediately  dispatched  by 
a  fleet-footed  Indian  runner  to  Plymouth.  A  boat 
was  promptly  sent  to  the  head  of  the  creek,  called 
Manoucusett,  on  the  north  side  of  the  cape,  and  De 
Rassieres,  with  his  companions,  having  threaded  the 
Indian  trail  through  the  wilderness  for  five  miles, 
was  received  on  board  the  Pilgrims'  boat  and  con- 
veyed to  Plymouth,  "  honorably  attended  with  the 
noise  of  trumpeters."  * 

This  meeting  was  a  source  of  enjoyment  to  both 
parties.  The  two  nations  of  England  and  Holland 
were  in  friendly  alliance,  and  consequently  this 
interview,  in  the  solitudes  of  the  New  World,  of  the 
representatives  of  the  two  colonies,  was  mutually 
agreeable.  The  Pilgrims,  having  many  of  them 
for  a  long  time  resided  in  Holland,  cherished  memo- 
ries of  that  country  with  feelings  of  strong  affection^ 

#  Bradford  in  Prince,  248. 


THE    COMMENCEMENT   OF   COLONIZATION.       69 

and  regarded  the  Hollanders  almost  as  fellow-coan* 
tiymen. 

But  again  Governor  Bradford  asserted  the  right 
of  the  English  to  the  country  claimed  by  the  Dutch, 
and  even  intimated  that  force  might  soon  be 
employed  to  vindicate  the  British  pretentions.  We 
must  admire  the  conduct  of  both  parties  in  this 
emergency.  The  Dutch,  instead  of  retaliating  with 
threats  and  violence,  sent  a  conciliatory  memorial  to 
Charles  L,  then  King  of  England.  And  Charles, 
much  to  his  credit,  issued  an  order  that  all  the  Eng- 
lish ports,  whether  in  the  kingdom  or  in  the  terri- 
tories of  the  British  king,  should  be  thrown  open  to 
the  Dutch  vessels,  trading  to  or  from  New  Nether- 
land. 

The  management  of  the  affairs  of  the  Dutch 
Colony  was  entrusted  to  a  body  of  merchants  called 
the  West  India  Company.  In  the  year  1629,  this 
energetic  company  purchased  of  the  Indians  the 
exclusive  title  to  a  vast  territory,  extending  north 
from  Cape  Henlopen,  on  the  south  side  of  Delaware 
Bay,  two  miles  in  breadth  and  running  thirty-two 
miles  inland. 

The  reader  cf  the  record  of  these  days,  often 
meets  with  the  word  Patroony  without  perhaps  having 
any  very  distinct  idea  of  its  significance.  In  order 
to  encourage  emigration  and   the  establishment   of 


70  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

colonies,  the  authorities  in  Holland  issued  a  charter, 
conferring  large  extents  of  land  and  exclusive  privi- 
leges, upon  such  members  of  the  West  India 
Company  as  might  undertake  to  settle  any  colony 
in  New  Netherland. 

"All  such,''  it  was  proclaimed  in  this  charter, 
"  shall  be  acknowledged  Patroons  of  New  Nether- 
land, who  shall,  within  the  space  of  four  years,  under- 
take to  plant  a  colony  there  of  fifty  souls  upwards 
of  fifteen  years  of  age.  The  Patroons,  by  virtue  of 
their  power,  shall  be  permitted,  at  such  places  as 
they  shall  settle"  their  colonies,  to  extend  their 
limits  four  miles'*  along  the  shore,  and  so  far  into 
the  country  as  the  situation  of  the  occupiers  will 
admit.''  The  patroons,  thus  in  possession  of  territory 
equal  to  many  of  the  dukedoms  and  principalities 
of  Europe,  were  invested  with  the  authority  which 
had  been  exercised  in  Europe  by  the  old  feudal 
lords.  They  could  settle  all  disputes,  in  civil  cases, 
between  man  and  man.  They  could  appoint  local 
officers  and  magistrates,  erect  courts,  and  punish  all 
crimes  committed  within  their  limits,  being  even 
authorized  to  inflict  death  upon  the  gallows.  They 
could  purchase  any  amount  of  unappropriated  lands 
from  the  Indians. 

One  of  these  patroons,  Kiliaen  Van  Rensselaer. 

*  Dutch   miles,  equal  to  sixteen   English  miles 


THE  COMMENCEMENT   OF  COLONIZATION.       ?I 

a  wealthy  merchant  in  Holland,  who  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  polish  pearls  and  diamonds,  became,  as 
patroon,  possessed  of  nearly  the  whole  of  the  pres- 
ent counties  of  Albany  and  Rensselaer,  in  the  State 
cf  New  York,  embracing  the  vast  area  of  one  thou- 
sand one  hundred  and  forty-one  square  miles.  Soon 
all  the  important  points  on  the  Hudson  River  and 
the  Delaware  were  thus  caught  up  by  these  patroons, 
wealthy  merchants  of  the  West  India  Company. 

When  the  news  of  these  transactions  reached 
Holland,  great  dissatisfaction  was  felt  by  the  less 
fortunate  shareholders,  that  individuals  had  grasped 
such  a  vast  extent  of  territory.  It  was  supposed 
that  Director  Minuit  was  too  much  in  sympathy 
with  the  patroons,  who  were  becoming  very  power- 
ful, and  he  was  recalled.  All  were  compelled  to 
admit  that  during  his  administration  the  condition 
of  the  colony  had  been  prosperous.  The  whole  of 
Manhattan  Island  had  been  honestly  purchased  of 
the  Indians.  Industry  had  flourished.  Friendly 
relations  were  everywhere  maintained  with  the 
natives.  The  northwestern  shores  of  Long  Island 
were  st-udded  with  the  log  cottages  of  the  settlers. 
During  his  directorship  the  exports  of  the  colony 
had  trebled,  amounting,  in  the  year  1632,  to  nearly 
fifty  thousand  dollars. 

We  come  now  to  a  scene  of  war,  blood  and  woe, 


72  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

for  which  the  Dutch  were  not  at  all  accountable 
It  will  be  remembered  that  a  colony  had  been  es- 
tablished near  the  mouth  of  Delaware  Bay.  Two 
vessels  were  dispatched  from  Holland  for  this  point 
containing  a  number  of  emigrants,  a  large  stock  of 
cattle,  and  whaling  equipments,  as  whales  abounded 
in  the  bay.  The  ship,  called  the  Walvis,  arrived 
upon  the  coast  in  April,  1631.  Running  along  the 
western  shore  of  this  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  they 
came  to  a  fine  navigable  stream,  which  was  called 
Horekill,  abounding  with  picturesque  islands,  with 
a  soil  of  exuberant  fertility,  and  where  the  waters 
were  filled  with  fishes  and  very  fine  oysters.  There 
was  here  also  a  roadstead  unequalled  in  the  whole 
bay  for  convenience  and  safety. 

Here  the  emigrants  built  a  fort  and  surrounded 
it  with  palisades,  and  a  thriving  Dutch  colony  of 
about  thirty  souls  was  planted.  They  formally 
named  the  place,  which  was  near  the  present  town 
of  Lewiston,  Swaanendael.  A  pillar  was  raised, 
surmounted  by  a  plate  of  glittering  tin,  upon  which 
was  emblazoned  the  arms  of  Holland  ;  and  which 
also  announced  that  the  Dutch  claimed  the  territory 
by  the  title  of  discoveiy,  purchase  and  occupation. 

For  a  while  the  affairs  of  this  colony  went  on  very 
prosperously.  But  in  May,  1632,  an  expedition, 
consisting  of  two  ships,  was  fitted  out  from  Holland, 


THE  COMMENCEMENT   OF   COLONIZATION.       73 

with  additional  emigrants  and  supplies.  Just  before 
the  vessels  left  the  Texel,  a  ship  from  Manhattan 
brought  the  melancholy  intelligence  to  Amsterdam 
that  the  colony  at  Swaanendael  had  been  destroyed 
by  the  savages,  thirty-two  men  having  been  killed 
outside  of  the  fort  working  in  the  fields.  Still 
DeVrees,  who  commanded  the  expedition,  hoping 
that  the  report  was  exaggerated,  and  that  the  col- 
ony might  still  live,  in  sadness  and  disappointment 
proceeded  on  his  way.  One  of  his  vessels  ran  upon 
the  sands  off  Dunkirk,  causing  a  delay  of  two  months. 
It  was  not  until  the  end  of  December  that  the  ves- 
sels cast  anchor  off  Swaanendael.  No  boat  from  the 
shore  approached  ;  no  signs  of  life  met  the  eye.  The 
next  morning  a  boat,  thoroughly  armed,  was  sent 
into  the  creek  on  an  exploring  tour. 

Upon  reaching  the  spot  where  the  fort  had  been 
erected  they  found  the  building  and  palisades  burned, 
and  the  ground  strewn  with  the  bones  of  their  mur- 
dered countrymen,  intermingled  with  the  remains  of 
cattle.  The  silence  and  solitude  of  the  tombs 
brooded  over  the  devastated  region.  Not  even  a 
savage  was  to  be  seen.  As  the  boat  returned  with 
these  melancholy  tidings,  DeVrees  caused  a  heavy 
cannon  to  be  fired,  hoping  that  its  thunders,  rever- 
berating over  the  bay,  and  echoing  through  the  trails 
of  the    wilderness,   might    reach    the    ear   of    some 


74  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

friendly  Indian,  from  whom  he  could  learn  the  de 
tails  of  the  disaster. 

The  next  morning  a  smoke  was  seen  curling  up 
from  the  forest  near  the  ruins.  The  boat  was  again 
sent  into  the  creek,  and  two  or  three  Indians  were 
seen  cautiously  prowling  about.  But  mutual  dis- 
trust stood  in  the  way  of  any  intercourse.  The 
Dutch  were  as  apprehensive  of  ambuscades  and  the 
arrows  of  the  Indians,  as  were  the  savages  of  the 
bullets  of  the  formidable  strangers. 

Some  of  the  savages  at  length  ventured  to  come 
down  to  the  shore,  off  which  the  open  boat  floated, 
beyond  the  reach  of  arrows.  Lured  by  friendly 
signs,  one  of  the  Indians  soon  became  emboldened 
to  venture  on  board.  He  was  treated  with  great 
kindness,  and  succeeded  in  communicating  the  fol- 
lowing, undoubtedly  true,  account  of  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  colony : 

One  of  the  chiefs,  seeing  the  glittering  tin  plate, 
emblazoned  with  the  arms  of  Holland,  so  conspicu- 
ously exposed  upon  the  column,  apparently  without 
any  consciousness  that  he  was  doing  anything  wrong, 
openly,  without  any  attempt  at  secrecy,  took  it 
down  and  quite  skilfully  manufactured  it  into  to- 
bacco pipes.  The  commander  of  the  fort,  a  man  by 
the  name  of  Hossett,  complained  so  bitterly  of  this, 
as  an  outrage  that  must   not  pass  unavenged,  that 


THE  COMMENCEMENT  OF  COLONIZATION.       75 

some  of  the  friendly  Indians,  to  win  his  favor,  killed 
the  chief,  and  brought  to  Hossett  his  head,  or  some 
other  decisive  evidence  that  the  deed  was  done. 

The  commandant  was  shocked  at  this  severity  of 
retribution,  so  far  exceeding  anything  which  he  had 
desired,  and  told  the  savages  that  they  had  done 
very  wrong;  that  they  should  only  have  arrested 
the  chief  and  brought  him  to  the  fort.  The  com- 
mandant would  simply  have  reprimanded  him  and 
forbidden  him  to  repeat  the  offence. 

The  ignorant  Indians  of  the  tribe,  whose  chief 
had  thus  summarily,  and,  as  they  felt,  unjustly  been 
put  to  death,  had  all  their  savage  instincts  roused 
to  intensity.  They  regarded  the  strangers  at  the 
fort  as  instigating  the  deed  and  responsible  for  it. 
They  resolved  upon  bloody  vengeance. 

A  party  of  warriors,  thoroughly  armed,  came 
stealing  through  the  glades  of  the  forest  and  ap- 
proached the  unsuspecting  fort.  All  the  men  were 
at  work  in  the  fields  excepting  one,  who  was  left 
sick  at  home.  There  was  also  chained  up  in  the 
fort,  a  powerful  and  faithful  mastiff,  of  whom  the  In- 
dians stood  in  great  dread.  Three  of  the  savages, 
concealing,  as  far  as  they  could,  their  weapons,  ap- 
proached the  fort,  under  the  pretence  of  bartering 
some  beaver  skins.  They  met  Hossett,  the  com- 
mander, not   far  from   the   door.     He   entered  the 


?6  PETER   STU  YVES  ANT. 

house  with  them,  not  having  the  slightest  suspicion 
of  their  hostile  intent.  He  ascended  some  steep 
stairs  into  the  attic,  where  the  stores  for  trade  were 
deposited,  and  as  he  was  coming  down,  one  of  the 
Indians,  watching  his  opportunity,  struck  him  dead 
with  an  axe.  They  then  killed  the  sick  man 
Standing  at  a  cautious  distance,  they  shot  twenty- 
five  arrows  into  the  chained  mastiff  till  he  sank  mo- 
tionless in  death. 

The  colonists  in  the  field,  in  the  meantime,  were 
entirely  unaware  of  the  awful  scenes  which  were 
transpiring,  and  of  their  own  impending  peril.  The 
wily  Indians  approached  them,  under  the  guise  of 
friendship.  Each  party  had  its  marked  man.  At  a 
given  signal,  with  the  utmost  ferocity  they  fell  upon 
their  victims.  With  arrows,  tomahawks  and  war- 
clubs,  the  work  was  soon  completed.  Not  a  man 
escaped. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

The  Administration  of  Van  Twiller. 

Friendly  Relations  Restored. — Wouter  Van  Twiller  New  Direc- 
tor.— Captain  Elkins. — Remonstrance  of  De  Vrees. — CLiims  foi 
the  Connecticut. — The  Plymouth  Expedition. — A  Boat's  Crew 
Murdered. — Condition  of  the  Colony  in  1633. — Emigration  to 
the  Connecticut. — Emigrants  from  Holland. — The  Red  Rocks. — 
New  Haven  Colony  Established. — Natural. — Indian  Remon- 
strance Against  Taxation. — Outrage  upon  the  Raritan  Indians.— 
Indian  Revenge. 

De  Vrees  very  wisely  decided  that  it  would  be 
but  a  barren  vengeance  to  endeavor  to  retaliate 
upon  the  roaming  savages,  when  probably  more  suf- 
fering would  be  inflicted  upon  the  innocent  than 
upon  the  guilty.  He  therefore,  to  their  astonish- 
ment and  great  joy,  entered  into  a  formal  treaty  of 
peace  and  alliance  with  them.  Any  attempt  to  bring 
the  offenders  to  justice  would  of  course  have  been 
unavailing,  as  they  could  easily  scatter,  far  and  wide, 
through  the  trackless  wilderness.  Arrangements 
were  made  for  re-opening  trade,  and  the  Indians 
with  alacrity  departed  to  hunt  beaver. 

A  new  Director  was  appointed  at  Manhattan, 
Wouter  Van  Twiller.  He  was  an  inexperienced  young 


78  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

man,  and  owed  his  appointment  to  the  powerful  pa- 
tronage he  enjoyed  from  having  married  the  niece 
of  the  patroon  Van  Rensselaer.  Thus  a  u  raw  Am- 
sterdam clerk,"  embarked  in  a  ship  of  twenty  guns, 
with  a  military  force  of  one  hundred  and  four  sol- 
diers, to  assume  the  government  of  New  Nether- 
land.  The  main  object  of  this  mercantile  governor 
seemed  to  be  to  secure  trade  with  the  natives  and 
to  send  home  furs. 

De  Vrees,  having  concluded  his  peace  with  the  In- 
dians, sailed  up  the  South  river,  as  they  then  called 
the  Delaware,  through  the  floating  ice,  to  a  trading 
post,  which  had  been  established  some  time  before 
at  a  point  about  four  miles  below  the  present  site 
of  Philadelphia.  He  thought  he  saw  indications  of 
treachery,  and  was  constantly  on  his  guard.  He 
found  the  post,  which  was  called  Fort  Nassau,  like 
a  similar  post  on  the  Hudson,  deserted.  The  chiefs, 
however,  of  nine  different  tribes,  came  on  board, 
bringing  presents  of  beaver  skins,  avowing  the  most 
friendly  feelings,  and  they  entered  into  a  formal 
treaty  with  the  Dutch.  There  did  not,  however, 
seem  to  be  any  encouragement  again  to  attempt  the 
establishment  of  a  colony,  or  of  any  trading  posts 
in  that  region.  He  therefore  abandoned  the  Dela- 
ware river,  and  for  some  time  no  further  attempts 
were  made  to  colonize  its  coasts. 


THE  ADMINISTRATION   OF  VAN   TWILLER.        79 

In  April,  1633,  an  English  ship  arrived  at  Man- 
hattan. The  bluff  captain,  Jacob  Elkins,  who  had 
formerly  been  in  the  Dutch  employ,  but  had  been 
dismissed  from  their  service,  refused  to  recognize 
the  Dutch  authorities,  declaring  that  New  Nether- 
land  was  English  territory,  discovered  by  Hudson, 
an  Englishman.  It  was  replied  that  though  Hud- 
son was  an  Englishman,  he  was  in  the  service  of  the 
East  India  Company  at  Amsterdam  ;  that  no  Eng- 
lish colonists  had  ever  settled  in  the  region,  and 
that  the  river  itself  was  named  Mauritius  river,  after 
the  Prince  of  Orange. 

Elkins  was  not  to  be  thus  dissuaded.  He  had 
formerly  spent  four  years  at  this  post,  and  was  thor- 
oughly acquainted  with  the  habits  and  language  of 
the  Indians.  His  spirit  was  roused.  He  declared 
that  he  would  sail  up  the  river  if  it  cost  him  his  life. 
Van  Twiller  was  equally  firm  in  his  refusal.  He  or- 
dered the  Dutch  flag  to  be  run  up  at  fort  Amster- 
dam, and  a  salute  to  be  fired  in  honor  of  the  Prince 
of  Orange.  Elkins,  in  retaliation,  unfurled  the  Eng- 
lish flag  at  his  mast-head,  and  fired  a  salute  in  hon- 
or of  King  Charles.  After  remaining  a  week  at  fort 
Amsterdam,  and  being  refused  a  license  to  ascend 
the  river,  he  defiantly  spread  his  colors  to  the 
breeze,  weighed    anchor,  and   boldly  sailed    up  the 


80  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

stream  to  fort  Orange.  This  was  the  first  British 
vessel  which  ascended  the  North  river. 

The  pusillanimous  Van  Twiller  was  in  a  great 
rage,  but  had  no  decision  of  character  to  guide  him 
in  such  an  emergency.  The  merchant  clerk,  invest- 
ed with  gubernatorial  powers,  found  himself  in  wa- 
ters quite  beyond  his  depth.  He  collected  all  the 
people  of  the  fort,  broached  a  cask  of  wine,  and  rail- 
ed valiantly  at  the  intrepid  Englishman,  whose  ship 
was  fast  disappearing  beyond  the  palisades.  His 
conduct  excited  only  the  contempt  and  derision  of 
those  around. 

DeVrees  was  a  man  of  very  different  fibre.  He 
had,  but  a  few  days  before,  entered  the  port  from 
Swaanendael.  He  dined  with  the  Governor  that 
day,  and  said  to  him  in  very  intelligible  Dutch  : 

"  You  have  committed  a  great  folly.  Had  it 
been  my  case,  I  would  have  helped  the  Englishman 
to  some  eight  pound  iron  beans,  and  have  pre- 
vented him  from  going  up  the  river.  The  English 
are  of  so  haughty  a  nature  that  they  think  that 
everything  belongs  to  them.  I  would  immediately 
send  a  frigate  after  him,  and  drive  him  out  of  the 
river." 

Stimulated  by  this  advice,  Van  Twiller  prepared, 
as  speedily  as  possible,  three  well  armed  vessels, 
strongly  manned  with  soldiers,  and  sent  them,  under 


THE  ADMINISTRATION   OF  VAN   TWILLER.       8 1 

an  intrepid  captain,  in  pursuit  of  the  intruders. 
They  found  the  English  ship,  the  William,  about  a 
mile  below  fort  Orange.  A  tent  was  pitched  upon 
the  shore,  where,  for  a  fortnight,  the  English  had 
been  pursuing  a  very  lucrative  traffic  for  furs.  The 
Dutch  soldiers  were  in  strength  which  Elkins  could 
not  resist. 

They  ordered  him  to  strike  his  tent.  He  refused. 
They  did  it  for  him ;  reshipped  all  his  goods  which 
he  had  transferred  to  the  shore,  to  trade  with  the 
Indians,  and  also  the  furs  which  he  had  purchased. 
They  then  weighed  the  anchors  of  the  William,  un- 
furled her  sails,  and,  with  trumpet  blasts  of  victory, 
brought  the  ship,  captain  and  crew  down  to  fort 
Amsterdam.  The  ship  was  then  convoyed  to  sea 
and  the  discomfited  Elkins  returned  to  London 
Thus  terminated,  in  utter  failure,  the  first  attemp\ 
of  the  English  to  enter  into  trade  with  the  Indians 
of  New  Netherland. 

The  Dutch  were  now  the  only  Europeans  who 
had  occupied  any  part  of  the  present  territory  of 
New  York,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania  and  Delaware. 
They  were  also  carrying  on  a  very  flourishing  trade 
with  the  Indians  on  the  Connecticut  river,  which 
was  then  called  Fresh  river,  and  this  "  long  before 
any  English  had  dreamed  of  going  there."  The 
value  of  this  traffic  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact 
4* 


82  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

that,  in  the  year  1633,  sixteen  thousand  beaver 
skins  were  sent  to  Holland  from  the  North  river 
alone. 

To  strengthen  their  title,  thus  far  founded  on 
discovery  and  exclusive  visitation,  the  Dutch,  in 
1632,  purchased  of  the  Indians  nearly  all  of  the 
lands  on  both  sides  of  the  Connecticut  river,  includ- 
ing Saybrook  Point,  at  the  mouth,  where  the  arms 
of  the  States-General  were  affixed  to  a  tree  in  token 
of  possession.  A  fort  was  also  commenced,  near  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  and  a  trading  post  established 
some  miles  up  the  stream,  at  the  point  now  occupied 
by  the  city  of  Hartford. 

About  the  same  time,  Lord  Warwick,  assuming 
that  a  legitimate  grant  of  the  region  had  been  made 
to  him  by  the  king  of  England,  conveyed  to  Lords 
Say,  Brook  and  others,  all  the  territory  running 
southwest  from  Narragansett  river,  to  the  distance 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  along  the  coast, 
and  reaching  back,  through  the  whole  breadth  of 
the  country,  from  the  Western  Ocean  to  the  South 
Sea.  The  geography  of  these  regions  was  then  very 
imperfectly  known.  No  one  had  any  conception  of 
the  vast  distance  between  the  Atlantic  Ocean  and 
the  shores  of  the  Pacific.  The  trading  post,  which 
the  Dutch  had  established  on  the  Connecticut,  was 
called  Fort  Hope. 


THE  ADMINISTRATION   OF  VAN   TWILLER,       83 

As  soon  as  it  was  known,  at  Plymouth  and  Bos« 
ton,  that  the  Dutch  had  taken  formal  possession  of 
the  valley  of  the  Connecticut,  Governor  Winslow 
hastened  to  confer  with  the  Massachusetts  Gover- 
nor respecting  their  duties.  As  it  was  doubtful 
whether  the  region  of  the  Connecticut  was  embraced 
within  either  of  their  patents,  they  decided  not  to 
interfere.  But  through  diplomatic  policy  they  as- 
signed a  different  reason  for  their  refusal. 

"In  regard,''  said  Governor  Winthrop,  "  that  the 
place  was  not  fit  for  plantation,  there  being  three  or 
four  thousand  warlike  Indians,  and  the  river  not  to 
be  gone  into  but  by  small  pinnaces,  having  a  bar 
affording  but  six  feet  at  high  water,  and  for  that  no 
vessel  can  get  in  for  seven  months  in  the  year,  partly 
by  reason  of  the  ice,  and  then  the  violent  stream, 
we  thought  not  fit  to  meddle  with  it."* 

Still  Governor  Winthrop  looked  wistfully  towards 
the  Connecticut.  Though  he  admitted  that  the 
lower  part  of  the  valley  was  "  out  of  the  claim  of 
the  Massachusetts  patent,"  it  could  not  be  denied 
that  the  upper  part  of  the  valley  was  included  in 
their  grant.  In  the  summer  of  1633,  John  Oldham, 
with  three  companions,  penetrated  the  wilderness, 
through  the  Indian  trails,  one  hundred  and  sixty 
miles  to  the  Connecticut  river.     They  were  hospfta- 

*  Morton's  memorial,  page  176. 


84  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

bly  entertained  in  the  many  Indian  /illages  they 
passed  through  by  the  way. 

They  brought  back  early  in  the  autumn,  glowing 
accounts  of  the  beauty  of  the  region,  and  of  the 
luxuriant  meadows  which  bordered  the  stream. 
Governor  Winthrop  then  sent  a  vessel  on  a  trading 
voyage,  through  Long  Island  Sound,  to  Manhattan, 
there  to  inform  the  Dutch  authorities  that  the  king 
of  England  had  granted  the  Connecticut  river  and 
the  adjacent  country  to  the  subjects  of  Great  Britain. 

In  most  of  these  transactions  the  Dutch  appear 
to  great  advantage.  After  five  weeks'  absence  the 
vessel  returned  to  Boston  to  report  the  friendly 
reception  of  the  Massachusetts  party  at  Manhattan, 
and  bearing  a  courteous  letter  to  Governor  Win- 
throp, in  which  Van  Twiller,  in  respectful  terms, 
urged  him  to  defer  his  claim  to  Connecticut  until 
the  king  of  England  and  the  States-General  of 
Holland  should  agree  about  their  limits,  so  that  the 
colonists  of  both  nations,  might  live  "as  good  neigh- 
bors in  these  heathenish  countries."  Director  Van 
Twiller  added,  with  good  sense,  which  does  him 
much  credit : 

"  I  have,  in  the  name  of  the  States-General  and 
the  West  India  Company,  taken  possession  of  the 
forementioned  river,  and,  for  testimony  thereof,  have 
set  up  an  house  on  the  north  side  of  the  said  river, 


THE  ADMINISTRATION   OF  VAN  TWILLER.       8$ 

It  is  not  the  intent  of  the  States  to  take  the  land 
from  the  poor  natives,  but  rather  to  take  it  at  some 
reasonable  price,  which,  God  be  praised,  we  have 
done  hitherto.  In  this  part  of  the  world  there  are 
many  heathen  lands  which  are  destitute  of  inhabi- 
tants, so  that  there  need  not  be  any  question  respect- 
ing a  little  part  or  portion  thereof.'* 

At  the  same  time  the  Plymouth  colony  made  a 
move  to  obtain  a  foothold  upon  the  Connecticut. 
To  secure  the  color  of  a  title,  the  colony  purchased 
of  a  company  of  Indians  who  had  been  driven  from 
their  homes  by  the  all-victorious  Pequods,  a  tract  of 
land  just  above  fort  Hope,  embracing  the  territory 
Vvhere  the  town  of  Windsor  now  stands.  Lieuten- 
ant Holmes  was  then  dispatched  with  a  chosen 
company,  in  a  vessel  which  conveyed  the  frame  of  a 
small  bouse  carefully  stowed  away,  and  which  could 
be  very  expeditiously  put  together.  He  was  di- 
rected to  push  directly  by  fort  Hope,  and  raise 
and  fortify  his  house  upon  the  purchased  lands. 
Governor  Bradford,  of  Plymouth,  gives  the  following 
quaint  account  of  this  adventure  : 

"  When  they  came  up  the  river  the  Dutch 
demanded  what  they  intended,  and  whither  they 
would  go?  They  answered,  '  up  the  river  to  trade.' 
Now  their  order  was  to  go  and  seat  above  them. 
They  bid  them  strike  and  stay  or  they  would  shoot 


S6  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

them,  and  stood  by  their  ordnance  ready  fitted 
They  answered,  they  had  commission  from  the 
Governor  of  Plymouth  to  go  up  the  river  to  such  a 
place,  and  if  they  did  shoot  they  must  obey  their 
order  and  proceed ;  they  would  not  molest  them  but 
go  on.  So  they  passed  along.  And  though  the 
Dutch  threatened  them  hard  yet  they  shot  not. 
Coming  to  their  place  they  clapped  up  their  house 
quickly,  and  landed  their  provisions,  and  left  the 
company  appointed,  and  sent  the  bark  home,  and 
afterward  palisaded  their  house  about,  and  fortified 
themselves  better." 

Van  Twiller,  informed  of  this  intrusion,  sent  a 
commissioner,  protesting  against  this  conduct  and 
ordering  Holmes  to  depart,  with  all  his  people. 
Holmes  replied,  "  I  am  here  in  the  name  of  the 
king  of  England,  and  here  I  shall  remain." 

Matters  soon  became  seriously  complicated.  A 
boat's  crew  was  robbed  and  murdered  by  some  vaga 
bond  Indians.     The  culprits  were  taken  and  hung 

This  exasperated  against  the  Dutch  the  power- 
ful Pequods  who  had  the  supremacy  over  all  that 
territory.  Open  war  soon  ensued.  The  Pequods 
sent  an  embassy  to  Boston,  and  entered  into  a  treaty 
of  alliance  with  the  Massachusetts  colony,  in  which 
they  surrendered  to  that  colony  the  Connecticut 
valley. 


THE  ADMINISTRATION   OF  VAN  TWILLER.       87 

In  the  meantime,  Van  Twiller  having  received 
instructions  from  the  home  government,  dispatched 
a  force  of  seventy  well  armed  men  to  drive  Lieuten 
ant  Holmes  and  his  men  from  their  post.  The  Eng- 
lish stood  firmly  upon  their  defence.  The  Dutch, 
seeing  that  a  bloody  battle  must  ensue,  with  uncer- 
tain results,  withdrew  without  offering  any  violence. 
In  many  respects  the  Dutch  colonies  continued  to 
enjoy  much  prosperity.  Mr.  Brodhead  gives  the 
following  interesting  account  of  the  state  of  affairs 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Hudson,  in  the  year  1633  : 

"  Fort  Amsterdam,  which  had  become  dilapi- 
dated, was  repaired,  and  a  guard-house  and  a  bar- 
rack for  the  newly  arrived  soldiers  were  constructed 
within  the  ramparts,  at  a  cost  of  several  thousand 
guilders. 

u  Three  expensive  windmills  were  also  erected. 
But  they  were  injudiciously  placed  so  near  the  fort 
that  the  buildings,  within  its  walls,  frequently  inter- 
cepted and  turned  off  the  south  wind. 

"  Several  brick  and  frame  houses  were  built  for 
the  Director  and  his  officers.  On  the  Company's 
farm,  north  of  the  fort,  a  dwelling-house,  brewery, 
boat-house  and  barn  were  erected.  Other  smaller 
houses  were  built  for  the  corporal,  the  smith,  the 
cooper.  The  loft,  in  which  the  people  had  wor- 
shipped   since   1626,  was  now  replaced    by  a   plain 


88  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

wooden  building,  like  a  barn,  situated  on  the  East 
River,  in  what  is  now  Broad  street,  between  Pearl 
and  Bridge  streets.  Near  this  old  church  a  dwelling- 
house  and  stable  were  erected  for  the  use  of  the 
Domine.  In  the  Fatherland  the  title  of  Domine 
was  familiarly  given  to  clergymen.  The  phrase 
crossed  the  Atlantic  with  Bogardus,  and  it  has  sur- 
vived to  the  present  day  among  the  descendants  of 
the  Dutch  colonists  of  New  Netherlands 

The  little  settlement  at  Manhattan  was  entitled 
to  the  feudal  right  of  levying  a  tax  upon  all  the 
merchandise  passing  up  or  down  the  river.  The 
English  were,  at  this  time,  so  ignorant  of  this  re- 
gion of  the  North  American  coast  that  a  sloop  was 
dispatched  to  Delaware  Bay  "  to  see  if  there  were 
any  river  there.''  As  the  Dutch  had  vacated  the 
Delaware,  the  English  decided  to  attempt  to  ob- 
tain a  foothold  on  those  waters.  Accordingly,  in 
the  year  1635,  they  sent  a  party  of  fourteen  or 
fifteen  Englishmen,  under  George  Holmes,  to  seize 
the  vacant  Dutch  fort. 

Van  Twiller,  informed  of  this  fact,  with  much 
energy  sent  an  armed  vessel,  by  which  the  whole 
company  was  arrested  and  brought  to  Manhattan, 
whence  they  were  sent,  "  pack  and  sack,"  to  an 
English  settlement  on  the  Chesapeake. 

The  Plymouth  people  had  now  been  two  >ear9 


THE  ADMINISTRATION   OF  VAN  TWILLER.       89 

in  undisturbed  possession  of  their  post  at  Windsor 
on  the  Connecticut.  Stimulated  by  their  example, 
the  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  encouraged 
emigration  to  the  Connecticut  valley,  urging,  as  a 
consideration,  their  need  of  pasturage  for  their  in- 
creasing flocks  and  herds  ;  the  great  beauty  and 
fruitfulness  of  the  Connecticut  valley,  and  the  dan- 
ger that  the  Dutch,  or  other  English  colonies,  might 
get  possession  of  it.  "Like  the  banks  of  the  Hud- 
son," it  was  said,  "  the  Connecticut  had  been  first 
explored  and  even  occupied  by  the  Dutch.  But 
should  a  log  hut  and  a  few  straggling  soldiers  seal  a 
territory  against  other  emigrants?"* 

Thus  solicited,  families  from  Watertown  and 
Roxbury  commenced  a  settlement  at  Wethersfield 
in  the  year  1635.  Some  emigrants,  from  Dorches- 
ter, established  themselves  just  below  the  colony  of 
the  Plymouth  people  at  Windsor.  This  led  to  a 
stern  remonstrance  on  the  part  of  Governor  Brad- 
ford, of  Plymouth,  denouncing  their  unrighteous  in- 
trusion. "  Thus  the  Plymouth  colonists  on  the  Con- 
necticut, themselves  intruders  within  the  territory 
of  New  Netherland,  soon  began  to  quarrel  with 
their  Massachusetts  brethren  for  trespassing  upon 
their  usurped  domain." 

In  November  of  this  year,  Governor  Winthrop 

*  Hist,  of  New  York,  by  John  Romeyn  Brodhead.  Vol.  I,  p  257. 


90  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

dispatched  a  bark  of  twenty  tons  from  Boston,  with 
about  twenty  armed  men,  to  take  possession  of  the 
mouth  of  the  Connecticut.  It  will  be  remembered 
that  the  Dutch  had  purchased  this  land  of  the  In- 
dians three  years  before,  and,  in  token  of  their  pos- 
session, had  affixed  the  arms  of  the  States-General 
to  a  tree.  The  English  contemptuously  tore  down 
these  arms,  "  and  engraved  a  ridiculous  face  in  their 
place." 

The  Dutch  had  called  this  region,  Linvit's 
Hook.  The  English  named  it  Saybrook,  in  honor 
of  lords  Say  and  Brook,  who  were  regarded  as  the 
leading  English  proprietors.  Early  the  next  year  the 
Massachusetts  people  established  a  colony  at  Aga- 
wam,  now  Springfield.  Thus,  step  by  step,  the  Eng- 
lish encroached  upon  the  Dutch,  until  nearly  the 
whole  valley  of  the  Connecticut  was  wrested  from 
them. 

About  this  time  Van  Twiller  issued  a  grant  of 
sixty-two  acres  of  land,  a  little  northwest  of  fort 
Amsterdam,  to  Roelof  Jansen.  This  was  the  origi 
nal  conveyance  of  the  now  almost  priceless  estate, 
held  by  the  corporation  of  Trinity  Church.  The  dU 
rectors,  in  Holland,  encouraged  emigration  by  all 
the  means  in  their  power.  Free  passage  was  offer- 
ed to  farmers  and  their  families.  They  were  also 
promised  the  lease  of  a  farm,  fit  for  the  plough,  for 


THE  ADMINISTRATION  OF  VAN  TWILLER.       91 

six  years,  with  a  dwelling  house,  a  barn,  four  horses 
and  four  cows.  They  were  to  pay  a  rent  for  these 
six  years,  of  forty  dollars  a  year,  and  eighty  pounds 
of  butter. 

At  the  expiration  of  the  six  years  the  tenants 
were  to  restore  the  number  of  cattle  they  had  re- 
ceived, retaining  the  increase.  They  were  also  as- 
sisted with  clothing,  provisions,  etc.,  on  credit,  at  an 
advance  of  fifty  per  cent.  But  notwithstanding 
the  rapid  increase  of  the  Dutch  settlements,  thus 
secured,  the  English  settlements  were  increasing 
with  still  greater  rapidity.  Not  satisfied  with  their 
encroachments  on  the  Connecticut,  the  English 
looked  wistfully  upon  the  fertile  lands  extending 
between  that  stream  and  the  Hudson. 

The  region  about  New  Haven,  which,  from  the 
East  and  West  rocks,  was  called  the  Red  Rocks,  at- 
tracted especial  attention.  Some  men  from  Bos- 
ton, who  had  visited  it,  greatly  extolled  the  beauty 
and  fertility  of  the  region,  declaring  it  to  be  far 
superior  to  Massachusetts  Bay.  u  The  Dutch  will 
seize  it,"  they  wrote,  "  if  we  do  not.  And  it  is  too 
good  for  any  but  friends." 

Just  then  an  English  non-conformist  clergyman, 
John  Davenport,  and  two  merchants  frorr^  London, 
men  of  property  and  high  religious  worth,  arrived 
at  Boston.     They  sailed  to  the  Red  Rocks,  purchas- 


92  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

ed  a  large  territory  of  the  Indians,  and  regardless  of 
the  Dutch  title,  under  the  shadow  of  a  great  oak, 
laid  the  foundations  of  New  Haven.  The  colony 
was  very  prosperous,  and,  in  one  year's  time,  num* 
bered  over  one  hundred  souls. 

And  now  the  English  made  vigorous  efforts  to 
gain  all  the  lands  as  far  west  as  the  Hudson  river. 
A  village  of  fifty  log  huts  soon  rose  at  Stratford, 
near  the  Housatonic.  Enterprising  emigrants  also 
pushed  forward  as  far  as  Norwalk,  Stamford  and 
Greenwich.  The  colony  at  Saybrook  consisted  in 
1640,  of  a  hundred  houses,  and  a  fine  church.  The 
Dutch  now  held,  in  the  Connecticut  valley,  only  the 
flat  lands  around  fort  Hope.  And  even  these  the 
English  began  to  plough  up.  They  cudgelled  those 
of  the  Dutch  garrison  who  opposed  them,  say- 
ing, "  It  would  be  a  sin  to  leave  uncultivated  so 
valuable  a  land  which  can  produce  such  excellent 
corn." 

The  English  now  laid  claim  to  the  whole  of  Long 
Island,  and  commenced  a  settlement  at  its  eastern 
extremity.  In  the  meantime  very  bitter  complaints 
weie  sent  to  Holland  respecting  the  incapacity  of 
the  Director  Van  Twiller.  It  was  said  that  he,  neg- 
lecting the  affairs  of  the  colony,  was  directing  all 
his  energies  to  enriching  himself.  He  had  become, 
it  was  reported,  the  richest  landholder  in  the  prov- 


THE  ADMINISTRATION  OF  VAN  TWILLER.       93 

ince.  Though  sustained  by  very  powerful  friends,  he 
was  removed. 

William  Kieft  was  appointed  in  his  steadj  the 
fifth  Director.  He  was  a  man  of  very  unenviable 
reputation,  and  his  administration  was  far  from 
successful.  Mr.  Brodhead  gives  the  following  true 
and  very  interesting  account  of  the  abundant  natu- 
ral resources  of  the  Dutch  settlements  on  the 
Hudson  at  this  time: 

"  The  colonists  lived  amid  nature's  richest  profu- 
sion. In  the  forests,  by  the  water  side,  and  on  the 
islands,  grew  a  rank  abundance  of  nuts  and  plums. 
The  hills  were  covered  with  thickets  of  blackberries. 
On  the  flat  lands,  near  the  rivers,  wild  strawberries 
came  up  so  plentifully  that  the  people  went  there 
to  lie  down  and  eat  them.  Vines,  covered  with 
grapes  as  good  and  sweet  as  in  Holland,  clambered 
over  the  loftiest  trees.  Deer  abounded  in  the 
forests,  in  harvest  time  and  autumn,  as  fat  as  any 
Holland  deer  can  be.  Enormous  wild  turkeys  and 
myriads  of  partridges,  pheasants  and  pigeons  roosted 
in  the  neighboring  woods.  Sometimes  the  turkeys 
and  deer  came  down  to  the  houses  of  the  colonists 
to  feed.  A  stag  was  frequently  sold  by  the  Indians 
for  a  loaf  of  bread,  or  a  knife,  or  even  for  a  tobacco 
pipe.  The  river  produced  the  finest  fish.  There 
was  a  great  plenty  of  sturgeon,  which,  at  that  time, 


94  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

the  christians  did  not  make  use  of,  but  the  Indians 
ate  them  greedily.  Flax  and  hemp  grew  sponta- 
neously. Peltries  and  hides  were  brought  in  great 
quantities,  by  the  savages,  and  sold  for  trifles.  The 
land  was  very  well  provisioned  with  all  the  necessa- 
ries of  life."* 

Thus  far,  as  a  general  rule,  friendly  relations  had 
existed  between  the  Dutch  and  the  Indians.  But 
all  sorts  of  characters  were  now  emigrating  from  the 
old  world.  The  Indians  were  often  defrauded,  or 
treated  harshly.  Individuals  among  the  natives 
retaliated  by  stealing.  When  caught  they  were 
severely  punished.  Notwithstanding  the  govern- 
ment prohibited  the  sale  of  muskets  to  the  Indians, 
so  eager  were  the  savages  to  gain  these  weapons,  so 
invaluable  to  them  on  their  hunting-fields,  that  they 
would  offer  almost  any  price  for  them.  Thus  the 
Mohawks  ere  long  obtained  "  guns,  powder  and 
bullets  for  four  hundred  warriors." 

Kieft  endeavored  to  tax  the  Indians,  extorting 
payment  in  corn  and  furs.  This  exasperated  them. 
Their  reply,  through  one  of  their  chiefs,  would  have 
done  honor  to  any  deliberative  assembly.  Indig- 
nantly the  chief  exclaimed: 

u  How  can  the  sachem  at  the  fort  dare  to  exact 
a  tax  from  us!     He  must  be  a  very  shabby  fellow 

*  History  of  the  State  of  New  York,  p.  203. 


THE  ADMINISTRATION   OF    VAN  TWILLER.       95 

He  has  come  to  live  in  our  land  when  we  have  not 
invited  him ;  and  now  he  attempts  to  deprive  us  of 
our  corn  for  nothing.  The  soldiers  at  fort  Amster- 
dam are  no  protection  to  us.  Why  should  we  be 
called  upon  to  support  them  ?  We  have  allowed  the 
Dutch  to  live  peaceably  in  our  country,  and  have 
never  demanded  of  them  any  recompense.  When 
they  lost  a  ship  here,  and  built  a  new  one,  we  sup- 
plied them  with  food  and  all  other  necessaries. 
We  took  care  of  them  for  two  winters  until  their 
ship  was  finished.  The  Dutch  are  under  obligations 
to  us.  We  have  paid  full  price  for  everything  we. 
have  purchased  of  them.  There  is,  therefore,  no 
reason  why  we  should  supply  them  with  corn  and 
furs  for  nothing.  If  we  have  ceded  to  them  the 
country  they  are  living  in,  we  yet  remain  masters 
of  what  we  have  retained  for  ourselves." 

This  unanswerable  argument  covered  the  whole 
ground.  The  most  illiterate  Indian  could  feel  the 
force  of  such  logic. 

Some  European  vagabonds,  as  it  was  afterwards 
clearly  proved,  stole  some  swine  from  Staten  Island. 
The  blame  was  thrown  upon  the  innocent  Raritan 
Indians,  who  lived  twenty  miles  inland.  The  rash 
Director  Kieft  resolved  to  punish  them  with  severi 
ty  which  should  be  a  warning  to  all  the  Indians. 

He  sent  to  this  innocent,  unsuspecting  tribe,  a 


g6  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

party  of  seventy  well  armed  men,  many  of  them  un. 
principled  desperadoes.  They  fell  upon  the  peace, 
ful  Indians,  brutally  killed  several,  destroyed  their 
crops,  and  perpetrated  all  sorts  of  outrages. 

The  Indians  never  forget  a  wrong.  The  spirit  of 
revenge  burned  in  their  bosoms.  There  was  a  thriv- 
ing plantation  belonging  to  DeVrees  on  Staten  Isl- 
and. The  Indians  attacked  it,  killed  four  of  the 
laborers,  burned  the  dwelling  and  destroyed  the 
crops.  Kieft,  in  his  blind  rage,  resolved  upon  the 
extermination  of  the  Raritans.  He  offered  a  large 
bounty  for  the  head  of  any  member  of  that  tribe. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  some  years  before  an 
Indian  had  been  robbed  and  murdered  near  the 
pond,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  fort  at  Manhattan,  and 
that  his  nephew,  a  boy,  had  escaped.  That  boy  was 
now  a  man,  and,  through  all  these  years,  with  almost 
religious  scrupulousness,  had  been  cherishing  his 
sense  of  duty  to  avenge  his  uncle's  unatoned  death. 

A  very  harmless  Dutchman,  by  the  name  of 
Claes  Smits,  had  reared  his  solitary  hut  upon  the 
Indian  trail  near  the  East  river.  The  nephew  of 
the  murdered  savage  came  one  day  to  this  humble 
dwelling,  and  stopped  under  the  pretence  of  selling 
some  beaver  skins.  As  Smits  was  stooping  over  the 
great  chest  in  which  he  kept  his  goods,  the  savage, 
seizing  an  axe,  killed  him  by  a  single  blow.     In  do- 


THE   ADMINISTRATION   OF   VAN   TWILLER.       97 

ing  this,  he  probably  felt  the  joys  of  an  approving 
conscience, — a  conscience  all  uninstructed  in  relig- 
ious truth — and  thanked  the  great  spirit  that  he  had 
at  length  been  enabled  to  discharge  his  duty  in 
avenging  his  uncle's  death. 

Kieft  sent  to  the  chief  of  the  tribe,  demanding 
the  murderer.  The  culprit  Indian  sent  back  the  re- 
ply: 

"  When  the  fort  was  building  some  years  ago, 
my  uncle  and  I,  carrying  some  beaver  skins  to  the 
fort  to  trade,  were  attacked  by  some  Dutchmen,  who 
killed  my  uncle  and  stole  the  furs.  This  happened 
when  I  was  a  small  boy.  I  vowed  to  revenge  it 
upon  the  Dutch  when  I  grew  up.  I  saw  no  better 
chance  than  this  of  Claes  Smits." 

The  sachem  refused  to  deliver  up  the  criminal, 
saying  that  he  had  but  done  his  duty,  according  to 
the  custom  of  his  race,  in  avenging  the  death  of  his 
kinsman,  murdered  many  years  before.  Kieft  was 
exceedingly  embarrassed.  He  was  very  unpopular  ; 
was  getting  the  colony  deeper  and  deeper  into  diffi 
culty,  and  was  accused  of  seeking  war  with  the  In- 
dians that  he  "  might  make  a  wrong  reckoning  with 
the  Company." 

In  this  emergency,  that  others  might  share  the 
responsibility  with  him,  he  reluctantly  sought  the 
counsel  of  the    community.     Twelve  "  select  men  * 
5 


98  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

were  chosen  to  consider  the  propositions  to  be  sub- 
mitted to  them  by  the  Director.  To  them  the  ques- 
tion was  propounded  : 

"  Is  it  not  just,  that  the  murder  lately  committed 
by  a  savage,  upon  Claes  Smits,  be  avenged  and  pun- 
ished ?  In  case  the  Indians  will  not  surrender  the 
murderer,  is  it  not  just  to  destroy  the  whole  village 
to  which  he  belongs  ?  In  what  manner,  when,  and 
by  whom  ought  this  to  be  executed?" 

The  result  of  their  deliberations  was,  in  brief,  as 
follows  :  "  Our  harvest  is  still  ungathered  ;  our  cat- 
tle are  scattered  in  the  woods.  Many  of  the  inhabi- 
tants, unsuspicious  of  danger,  are  at  a  distance.  It 
is  not  best  to  precipitate  hostilities.  In  the  mean- 
time let  two  hundred  coats  of  mail  be  procured  in 
preparation  for  the  expedition.  Let  our  friendly  in- 
tercourse with  the  savages  be  uninterrupted,  to 
throw  them  off  their  guard.  When  the  hunting  sea- 
son commences,  let  two  armed  bands  be  sent  out  to 
attack  the  Indians  from  opposite  directions.  Let  as 
many  negroes  as  can  be  spared,  be  sent  on  this  ex- 
pedition, each  armed  with  tomahawk  and  half-pike. 
Still  let  messengers  be  sent  once,  twice  and  even  a 
third  time  to  solicit  the  surrender  of  the  murderer." 

The  Governor  had  the  reputation  of  being  an 
arrant  coward.  It  had  often  been  said,  "  It  is  very 
well  for  him  to  send  us  into  the  field,  while  he  se- 


THE  ADMINISTRATION   OF  VAN  TWILLER.       99 

cures  his  own  life  in  a  good  fort,  out  of  which  he 
has  not  slept  a  single  night  in  all  the  years  he  has 
been  here."  They  therefore  shrewdly  added,  "The 
Governor  himself  ought  to  lead  the  van  in  this  at- 
tack. We  will  follow  his  steps  and  obey  his  com- 
mands.'' 

The  hunting  season  soon  came.  Still  it  was  de- 
cided to  delay  hostilities.  The  savages  were  on 
their  guard.  A  very  general  feeling  of  unfriendli- 
ness pervaded  the  tribes.  The  Dutch  settlers  were 
widely  scattered.  A  combination  of  the  Indians 
against  the  colonists  might  prove  an  awful  calamity. 
Thus,  for  a  time,  the  war  which  was  evidently  ap- 
proaching was  averted. 


CHAPTER    V. 

War  and  Its  Devastations. 

Approaching  Hostilities. — Noble  Remonstrance. — Massacre  of  the 
Natives. — The  War  Storm. — Noble  conduct  of  DeVrees. — The 
Humiliation  of  Kieft. — Wide-Spread  Desolation. — The  Reign 
of  Terror. — State  of  Affairs  at  Fort  Nassau. — The  Massacre  at 
Stamford. — Memorial  of  the  Select  Men. — Kieft  Superseded  by 
Peter  Stuyvesant. 

The  year  1643  was  a  year  of  terror  and  of  blood 
in  nearly  all  of  the  American  colonies.  New  Eng- 
land was  filled  with  alarm  in  the  apprehension  of  a 
general  rising  of  the  Indians.  It  was  said  that  a 
benighted  traveller  could  not  halloo  in  the  woods 
without  causing  fear  that  the  savages  were  torturing 
their  European  captives.  This  universal  panic  per- 
vaded the  Dutch  settlements.  The  wildest  stories 
were  circulated  at  the  firesides  of  the  lonely  settlers. 
Anxiety  and  terror  pervaded  all  the  defenceless 
hamlets. 

DeVrees,  rambling  one  day  with  his  gun  upon 
his  shoulder,  met  an  Indian  u  who  was  very  drunk.'' 
Coming  up  to  the  patroon,  the  Indian  patted  him 
upon  the  shoulder,  in  token  of  friendship,  saying, 

"You  are  a  good  cnief.     When  we  come  to  see 


WAR  AND   ITS   DEVASTATIONS.  101 

you,  you  give  us  milk  to  drink.  I  have  just  come 
from  Hackensack  where  they  sold  me  brandy,  and 
then  stole  my  beaver  skin  coat.  I  will  take  a 
bloody  revenge.  I  will  go  home  for  my  bow  and 
arrows,  and  shoot  one  of  those  rascally  Dutchmen 
who  have  stolen  my  coat.'' 

DeVrees  endeavored  in  vain  to  soothe  him 
He  had  hardly  reached  his  home  ere  he  heard  that 
the  savage  had  kept  his  vow.  He  had  shot  and 
killed  an  innocent  man,  one  Garret  Van  Voorst,  who 
was  thatching  the  roof  of  a  house.  The  chiefs  of 
the  tribe  were  terror-stricken,  through  fear  of  the 
white  man's  vengeance.  They  did  not  dare  to  go 
to  the  fort  lest  they  should  be  arrested  and  held  as 
hostages.  But  they  hastened  to  an  interview  with 
DeVrees,  in  whom  they  had  confidence,  and  express- 
ed a  readiness  to  make  atonement  for  the  crime,  in 
accordance  with  the  custom  of  their  tribe,  by  paying 
a  large  sum  to  the  widow  of  the  murdered  man. 

It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  this  custom,  so  uni- 
versal among  the  Indians,  of  a  blood  atonement  of 
money,  was  also  the  usage  of  the  tribes  of  Greece 
We  read  in  Homer's  Iliad,  as  translated  by  Pope, 

"  If  a  brother  bleed, 
On  just  atonement  we  remit  the  deed  ; 
A  sire  the  slaughter  of  his  sons  forgives, 
The  price  of  blood  discharged,  the  murderer  lives." 


102  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

At  length,  encouraged  by  DeVrees  and  acconv. 
panied  by  him,  the  chiefs  ventured  to  fort  Amster- 
dam. They  explained  to  Kieft  the  occurrence,  and 
proposed  the  expiatory  offering  to  appease  the  wid- 
ow's grief.  Kieft  was  inexorable.  Nothing  but  the 
blood  of  the  criminal  would  satisfy  him.  In  vain 
they  represented  that  he  was  the  son  of  a  beloved 
chief,  and  that  already  he  had  fled  far  away  to  some 
distant  tribe.  Our  sympathy  for  these  men  is 
strongly  excited  as  we  read  their  sorrowful  yet  no- 
ble remonstrance  : 

"  Why/'  said  they,  "  will  you  sell  brandy  to  our 
young  men  ?  They  are  not  used  to  it.  It  makes 
them  crazy.  Even  your  own  people,  who  are  ac- 
customed to  strong  liquors,  sometimes  become 
drunk  and  fight  with  knives.  Sell  no  more  strong 
drink  to  the  Indians,  if  you  will  avoid  such  mis- 
chief." 

While  this  question  was  being  agitated,  the  Mo- 
hawks from  the  upper  part  of  the  Hudson,  came 
down  in  strong  military  bands,  armed  with  mus- 
kets, upon  the  lower  river  tribes,  attacked  them 
with  great  ferocity,  killed  quite  a  number  of  their 
warriors,  took  the  women  and  children  captive,  and 
destroyed  their  villages. 

The  lower  river  tribes  all  trembled  before  the 
terrible  Iroquois.     Large  numbers  of  these  subjuga- 


WAR  AND   ITS   DEVASTATIONS.  103 

ted  tribes  fled  from  the  river  banks,  and  from  the 
region  of  Westchester,  to  Manhattan  and  to  Pavo- 
nia,  where  Jersey  City  now  stands.  Here,  stripped 
and  panic-stricken,  they  encamped,  "  full  a  thousand 
strong." 

The  humane  and  judicious  patroon,  DeVrees, 
in  whom  the  Indians  seem  to  have  reposed  great 
confidence,  had  a  beautiful  estate  several  miles  up 
the  river,  at  a  place  called  Vreesendael.  It  was  a 
delightful  spot  of  about  five  hundred  fertile  acres, 
through  which  wound  a  fine  stream  affording  hand- 
some mill  seats.  The  meadows  yielded  hay  enough 
spontaneously  for  two  hundred  head  of  cattle. 

DeVrees,  finding  his  house  full  of  fugitive  sav- 
ages, on  their  retreat  to  Pavonia,  at  the  mouth  of 
the  river,  paddled  down  in  a  canoe  through  the 
floating  ice  to  fort  Amsteidam,  to  confer  with  Direc- 
tor Kieft  upon  the  emergency.  He  urged  upon 
the  Director  that  these  poor  Indians,  thus  escaping 
from  the  terrible  Iroquois  and  grateful  for  the  pro- 
tection, which  the  Dutch  had  not  denied  them,  might 
easily  be  won  to  a  sincere  friendship.  On  the  other 
hand,  some  of  the  more  fiery  spirits  in  the  colony 
thought  that  the  occasion  furnished  them  with  an 
opportunity  so  to  cripple  the  Indians  as  to  render 
them  forever  after  powerless.  They  sent  in  a  pe- 
tition to  Kieft,  saying, 


104  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

"  We  entreat  that  immediate  hostile  measures 
may  be  directed  against  the  savages.  They  have 
not  yet  delivered  up  the  assassins  of  Smits  and  Van 
Voorst,  and  thus  these  murders  remain  unavenged. 
The  national  character  of  the  Dutch  must  suffer. 
God  has  now  delivered  our  enemies  into  our  hands. 
Let  us  attack  them.  We  offer  our  services,  and  urge 
that  united  parties  of  soldiers  and  civilians  assail 
them  at  several  points." 

These  views  were  in  entire  harmony  with  the 
wishes  of  the  sanguinary  Kieft.  He  was  delighted 
with  the  prospect  of  a  war  in  which  victory  seemed 
easy  and  certain.  Disregarding  the  remonstrances 
of  DeVrees,  and  of  the  christian  minister  Bogardus, 
he  made  efficient  preparation  for  the  slaughter  of 
the  helpless  savages. 

He  sent  his  secretary  and  a  military  officer  across 
the  river  to  reconnoitre  the  position  of  the  Indians. 
There  were  two  bands  of  these  trembling  fugitives, 
one  at  Pavonia,  on  the  Jersey  side  of  the  river,  and 
one  at  Corlaer's  Hook,  on  the  Island  of  Manhattan, 
just  above  fort  Amsterdam.  Secretly,  at  midnight 
of  the  25th  of  February,  1643,  the  armed  bands  ad- 
vanced against  their  unsuspecting  victims.  They 
were  sleeping  in  fancied  security  when  the  murder- 
ous assault  commenced. 

*'  The  noise  of  muskets,"  writes  Brodhead,  "  min 


WAR  AND   ITS   DEVASTATIONS.  10$ 

gled  with  the  shrieks  of  the  terrified  Indians.  Nei- 
ther age  nor  sex  were  spared.  Warrior  and  squaw, 
sachem  and  child,  mother  and  babe,  were  alike  mas. 
sacred.  Daybreak  scarcely  ended  the  furious  slaugh- 
ter. Mangled  victims,  seeking  safety  in  the  thickets, 
were  driven  into  the  river.  Parents,  rushing  to  save 
their  children  whom  the  soldiers  had  thrown  into 
the  stream,  were  driven  back  into  the  waters  and 
drowned  before  the  eyes  of  their  unrelenting  mur- 
derers." 

"  I  sat  up  that  night, ''  writes  DeVrees,  "  by  the 
kitchen  fire  at  the  Director's.  About  midnight, 
hearing  loud  shrieks,  I  ran  up  to  the  ramparts  of  the 
fort.  Looking  towards  Pavonia,  I  saw  nothing  but 
shooting,  and  heard  nothing  but  the  shrieks  of  In- 
dians murdered  in  their  sleep.'' 

With  the  dawn  of  the  morning  the  victorious 
Dutch  returned  from  their  scene  of  slaughter,  bear- 
ing with  them  about  thirty  prisoners,  and  the  heads 
instead  of  the  scalps  of  many  warriors.  Kieft  wel- 
comed these  blood-stained  men  with  "  shaking  of 
hands  and  congratulations.''  The  tidings  of  this 
outrage  spread  far  and  wide  among  the  Indian 
tribes  in  the  valley  of  the  Hudson  and  on  the  Long 
Island  shore. 

Private  enterprise,  relying  upon  the  protection 
of  Kieft,  had  sent  out  a  foraging  expedition  upon 
5* 


106  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

Long  Island.  Kieft  assumed  that  he  saw  signs 
of  hostility  there.  The  unsuspecting  savages  were 
plundered  of  two  wagon  loads  of  grain.  These 
Indians,  who  had  thus  far  been  the  warmest  friends 
o(  the  Dutch,  were  now  justly  roused  to  the  highest 
pitch  of  indignation.  They  immediately  made  com- 
mon cause  with  the  river  tribes,  who  were  almost 
frenzied  with  the  desire  to  avenge  the  midnight 
massacres  of  Pavonia  and  Manhattan.  The  storm 
which  thus  burst  upon  New  Netherland  was  sudden 
and  awful.  The  savages,  in  their  rage,  developed 
energy  and  power  totally  unanticipated. 

Eleven  tribes  combined  in  the  most  furious 
and  merciless  attacks  upon  the  lonely  farm-houses. 
Everywhere  the  war-whoop  resounded,  and  the 
plumed  and  painted  savages  emerged  from  swamps 
and  thickets,  and  assailed  every  unprotected  dwell- 
ing. The  farmer  was  shot  in  the  field,  his  dwelling 
burned,  and  his  wife  and  children  were  thrown  into 
the  flames.  Many  women  and  children,  their  lives 
being  spared,  were  carried  into  captivity  worse  than 
death.  Houses,  haystacks  and  granaries  were  fired. 
Cattle  were  slain  or  driven  off,  and  crops  destroyed. 

Terror  held  high  carnival.  From  the  banks  of 
the  Raritan  to  the  valley  of  the  Housatonic,  over  a 
region  of  hundreds  of  square  miles,  not  a  plantation 
was  safe.     Men,  women  and  children,  haggard  with 


WAR   AND   ITS   DEVASTATIONS.  107 

hunger,  exposure  and  woe,  fled  from  their  deserted 
homes  to  fort  Amsterdam.  Despairing  of  ever  again 
rinding  peaceful  residence  in  this  new  world,  with 
one  voice  they  demanded  a  return  to  the  fatherland. 
The  Dutch  colonies  were  threatened  with  immediate 
and  entire  depopulation. 

Kieft  himself  was  terrified  in  view  of  the  fright- 
ful storm  he  had  raised.  He  was  compelled  to  enlist 
every  able-bodied  man  as  a  soldier.  There  was  an 
end  to  all  traffic,  to  all  agriculture,  to  all  the  arts  of 
industry.  Even  the  plantation  of  the  humane  De- 
Vrees  did  not  escape  the  undiscriminating  wrath  oi 
the  savages.  The  outhouses,  cattle  and  crops  were 
utterly  destroyed.  Quite  a  number  of  the  terrified 
colonists  had  taken  refuge  in  the  manor  house  which 
DeVrees  had  prudently  built  very  strong,  and  con- 
structed with  loopholes  for  musketry. 

The  Indians  were  besieging  the  place,  when  one 
of  their  tribe  came,  whom  DeVrees  had  assisted 
to  escape  from  the  massacre  at  Manhattan.  He 
told  the  story  of  his  escape  and  said  that  DeVrees 
was  a  good  chief  whom  they  ought  to  respect. 
The  Indians  held  a  short  consultation,  and  then  the 
grateful  savages  deputed  one  of  their  number  to 
advance  within  speaking  distance  of  the  manor 
house.  This  man,  whom  we  call  a  savage,  cried 
out : 


108  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

"  We  are  very  sorry  that  we  have  destroyed  the 
outhouses,  the  cattle  and  the  crops.  We  now  know 
that  chief  DeVrees  is  a  good  chief  and  our  friend. 
If  we  had  not  destroyed  his  property  we  would  not 
do  so.  We  will  not  harm  the  brewery,  though  we 
all  greatly  need  the  copper  kettle  to  make  barbs  for 
our  arrows.'' 

These  noble  red  men,  for  we  must  think  they 
exhibited  a  noble  spirit,  then  departed.  DeVrees 
was,  at  the  time,  in  the  manor  house.  He  hastened 
down  the  river  to  fort  Amsterdam  and  indignantly 
addressing  the  governor,  said  : 

"  Has  it  not  happened  just  as  I  foretold,  that  you 
are  only  helping  to  shed  christian  blood  ?  Who  will 
now  compensate  us  for  our  losses? '' 

The  wretched  Kieft  had  not  one  word  to  reply. 
He  however,  made  a  weak  and  unavailing  attempt 
to  appease  the  wrath  of  the  Long  Island  Indians. 
But  the  roaring  tornado  of  savage  vengeance  could 
not  thus  be  divested  of  its  terrors.  The  messengers 
he  sent,  approaching  a  band  of  Indians,  cried  out  to 
them,  "  We  come  to  you  as  friends."  They  shouted 
back  contemptuously,  "Are  you  our  friends?  You 
are  only  corn  thieves.'*  Refusing  all  intercourse 
they  disappeared  in  the  forest. 

During  all  these  scenes  the  infamous  and  cow- 
ardly Kirft  ensconced  himself  securely  within    the 


WAR  AND   ITS  DEVASTATIONS.  IO9 

tvalls  of  the  fort.  The  bewailings  of  ruined  farmers, 
and  of  widows  and  orphan  children  rose  all  around 
him.  To  divert  public  clamor,  he  fitted  out  several 
expeditions  against  the  Indians.  But  these  expedi- 
tions all  returned  having  accomplished  nothing. 

61  The  proud  heart  of  the  Director,"  writes  Bred- 
head,  "  began  to  fail  him  at  last.  In  one  week  des- 
olation and  sorrow  had  taken  the  place  of  gladness 
and  prosperity.  The  colony  entrusted  to  his  charge 
was  nearly  ruined.  It  was  time  to  humble  himself 
before  the  Most  High,  and  invoke  from  heaven  the 
mercy  which  the  christian  had  refused  the  savage. 

"  A  day  of  general  fasting  and  prayer  was  pro- 
claimed. 'We  continue  to  suffer  much  trouble  and 
7oss  from  the  heathen,  and  many  of  our  inhabitants 
see  their  lives  and  property  in  jeopardy,  which  is 
doubtless  owing  to  our  sins,'  was  Kieft's  contrite 
confession,  as  he  exhorted  every  one  penitently  to 
supplicate  the  mercy  of  God,  *  so  that  his  holy  name 
may  not,  through  our  iniquities,  be  blasphemed  by 
the  heathen.'  '' 

The  people  still  held  the  Director  responsible 
for  all  the  consequences  which  had  followed  the 
massacres  of  Pavonia  and  Corlaer's  Hook.  They 
boldly  talked  of  arresting  and  deposing  him,  and  of 
sending  him,  as  a  culprit,  back  to  Holland.  The 
Director,   panic  stricken,    endeavored    to    shift   the 


IIO  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

responsibility  of  the  insane  course  which  had  been 
pursued,  upon  one  Adriansen,  an  influential  burgh- 
er, who  was  the  leading  man  among  the  petitioners 
who  had  counselled  war. 

Adriansen  was  now  a  ruined  man.  His  own 
plantation  had  been  utterly  devastated.  Exasperat- 
ed by  his  losses,  he  had  no  disposition  to  take  upon 
himself  the  burden  of  that  popular  odium  which  had 
now  become  so  heavy.  Losing  all  self-control,  he 
seized  a  sword  and  a  pistol,  and  rushed  into  the  Di- 
rector's room,  with  the  apparent  intention  of  assas- 
sinating him,  exclaiming,  "  what  lies  are  these  you 
are  reporting  of  me.'' 

He  was  "disarmed  and  imprisoned.  One  of  his 
servants  took  a  gun,  went  to  the  fort  and  deliber- 
ately discharged  the  piece  at  the  Director,  but  with- 
out hitting  him.  The  would-be  assassin  was  shot 
down  by  a  sentinel  and  his  head  exposed  upon  the 
scaffold.     Adriansen  was  sent  to  Holland  for  trial. 

After  terrible  scenes  of  suffering,  a  temporary 
peace  was  restored  through  the  heroic  interposition 
of  DeVrees.  He  was  the  only  man  who  dared  to 
venture  among  the  exasperated  Indians.  They 
watched  over  him  kindly,  and  entreated  him  to  be 
cautious  in  exposing  himself,  lest  harm  might  befall 
him  from  some  wandering  Indians  by  whom  he  was 
not  known.     But  the  wrongs  which  the  Indians  had 


WAR  AND   ITS   DEVASTATIONS.  Ill 

experienced  were  too  deep  to  be  buried  in  oblivion. 
And  there  was  nothing  in  the  character  of  Kieft  to 
secure  their  confidence.  After  the  truce  of  a  few 
weeks  the  war,  without  any  imaginable  cause,  broke 
out  anew. 

All  the  settlements  at  Westchester  and  Long 
Island  were  laid  waste.  Scarcely  an  inhabitant, 
save  the  roving  Indian,  was  to  be  found  in  those  re- 
gions. The  Dutch  were  driven  out  of  the  whole  of 
New  Jersey.  The  settlers  on  Staten  Island  were 
trembling  in  hourly  expectation  of  an  assault. 
Wars  devastating  surges  of  flame  and  blood  swept 
nearly  the  whole  island  of  Manhattan.  Bold  men 
ventured  to  remain  well  armed,  upon  a  few  of  the 
farms,  or  boweries  as  they  were  called,  in  the  immedi- 
ate vicinity  of  the  fort,  but  they  were  continually 
menaced  with  attack,  night  and  day.  A  bowery  was 
a  farm  on  which  the  family  resided.  A  plantation 
was  one  of  those  extended  tracts  of  land,  which  was 
partly  cultivated  but  upon  which  no  settler  dwelt. 
There  was  no  protection  anywhere  for  the  trem- 
bling population,  save  in  and  directly  around  fort 
Amsterdam.  Mr.  Brodhead,  alluding  to  these  scenes 
of  terror,  writes, 

"  The  women  and  children  lay  concealed  in  straw 
huts,  while  their  husbands  and  fathers  mounted 
guard  on  the  crumbling  ramparts  above      For  the 


TI2  PETER   STUWESANT. 

fort  itself  was  almost  defenceless.  It  resembled 
rather  a  mole-hill  than  a  fortress  against  an  enemy 
The  cattle,  which  had  escaped  destruction,  were 
huddled  within  the  walls,  and  were  already  begin- 
ning to  starve  for  want  of  forage.  It  was  indispens- 
able to  maintain  a  constant  guard  at  all  hours,  for 
seven  allied  tribes,  well  supplied  with  muskets, 
powder  and  ball,  which  they  had  procured  from 
private  traders,  boldly  threatened  to  attack  the 
dilapidated  citadel  with  all  their  strength,  now 
amounting  to  fifteen  hundred  men. 

"  So  confident  had  the  enemy  become,  that  their 
scouting  parties  constantly  threatened  the  advanced 
sentinels  of  the  garrison.  Ensign  Van  Dyck,  while 
relieving  guard  at  one  of  the  outposts,  was  wounded 
by  a  musket  ball  in  his  arm.  All  the  forces  that  the 
Dutch  could  now  muster,  besides  the  fifty  or  sixty 
soldiers  in  garrison,  were  about  two  hundred  free- 
men. With  this  handful  of  men  was  New  Nether- 
land  to  be  defended  against  the  implacable  fury  of 
her  savage  foe." 

For  a  time  the  war  which  had  desolated  the  re- 
gion of  the  lower  valley  of  the  Hudson,  did  not 
reach  fort  Nassau,  now  Albany.  The  tribes  resident 
there  were  at  war  with  the  lower  river  tribes.  As 
these  Indians  still  maintained  apparently  friendly 
relations  with  the  whites,  the  patroon,  Van  Rens- 


WAR  AND  ITS  DEVASTATIONS.  113 

selaer,  allowed  his  agents  freely  to  sell  to  them  fire 
arms  and  powder. 

This  distant  and  feeble  post  at  this  time  consisted 
only  of  a  wretched  little  fort  built  of  logs,  with 
eight  or  ten  small  cannon  or  swivels. 

A  hamlet  of  about  thirty  huts  was  scattered 
along  the  river.  A  church,  thirty-four  feet  long 
by  nineteen  wide,  had  been  erected  in  a  pine 
grove  within  range  of  the  guns  of  the  fort.  Nine 
benches  accommodated  the  congregation.  A  very 
faithful  pastor,  Domine  Megapolensis,  ministered  to 
them. 

The  red  men  were  often  attracted  to  the  church 
to  hear  the  preached  gospel,  and  wondered  what  it 
meant.     Megapolensis  writes  : 

"  When  we  have  a  sermon  sometimes  ten  or 
twelve  of  the  Indians  will  attend,  each  having  in  his 
mouth  a  long  tobacco  pipe  made  by  himself,  and 
will  stand  awhile  and  look.  Afterwards  they  will 
ask  me  what  I  was  doing,  and  what  I  wanted,  that 
I  stood  there  alone  and  made  so  many  words  and 
none  of  the  rest  might  speak. 

11  I  tell  them  that  I  admonish  the  christians  that 
they  must  now  steal  or  drink,  or  commit  murder,  or 
do  anything  wrong,  and  that  I  intend,  after  a  while, 
to  come  and  preach  to  them  when  I  am  acquainted 
with  their  language.     They  say  that  I    do  well  in 


114  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

teaching  the  christians,  but  immediately  add,  '  Why 
do  so  many  christians  do  these  things? '" 

This  was  several  years  before  John  Eliot  com- 
menced preaching  the  gospel  to  the  Indians  near 
Boston.  Kieft  very  earnestly  applied  to  the  Eng- 
lish colony  at  New  Haven  for  assistance  against  the 
Indians.  The  proposal  was  submitted  to  the  Gen- 
eral Court.  After  mature  deliberation,  it  was  de- 
cided that  the  Articles  of  Confederation  between 
the  New  England  colonies  prohibited  them  from 
engaging  separately  in  war ;  and  that  moreover 
"  they  were  not  satisfied  that  the  Dutch  war  with 
the  Indians  was  just." 

The  Dutch  Director,  thus  disappointed  in  ob- 
taining assistance  from  the  English,  was  roused  to 
the  energies  of  desperation.  The  spirit  of  the  peo- 
ple also  rose  to  meet  the  emergency.  It  was  de- 
termined to  commence  the  most  vigorous  offensive 
measures  against  the  savages. 

We  have  not  space  to  enter  into  the  details  of 
this  dreadful  war.  We  will  record  one  of  its  san- 
guinary scenes,  as  illustrative  of  many  others.  The 
Connecticut  Indians,  in  the  vicinity  of  Greenwich, 
had  joined  the  allied  tribes,  and  were  becoming 
increasingly  active  in  their  hostility.  Ensign  Van 
Dyck  was  dispatched  with  one  hundred  and  fifty 
men  in  three    vessels.     The   expedition  landed   at 


WAR   AND   ITS   DEVASTATIONS.  115 

Greenwich.  The  Indian  warriors,  over  five  hundred 
in  number,  were  assembled  in  a  strongly  palisaded 
village  in  the  vicinity  of  Stamford. 

It  was  midnight  in  February,  1644,  when  the  ex- 
pedition approached  the  Indian  village.  All  the 
day  long  the  men  had  toiled  through  the  snow.  It 
was  a  wintry  night,  clear  and  cold,  with  a  full  moon 
whose  rays,  reflected  by  the  dazzling  surface  of  hiil 
and  valley,  were  so  brilliant  that  "  many  winter  days 
were  not  brighter." 

The  Dutch,  discharging  a  volley  of  bullets  upon 
the  doomed  village,  charged,  sword  in  hand.  The 
savages,  emboldened  by  their  superior  numbers, 
made  a  desperate  resistance.  But  in  a  conflict  like 
this,  arrows  are  comparatively  powerless  when  op- 
posed to  muskets.  The  Indians,  unable  to  reach 
their  foes  with  their  arrows,  made  several  very  bold 
sallies,  recklessly  endeavoring  to  break  the  Dutch 
lines.  They  were  invariably  driven  back  with  great 
loss.  Not  one  of  them  could  show  himself  outside 
the  palisades  without  being  shot  down. 

In  less  than  an  hour  the  dark  forms  of  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  Indian  warriors  lay  spread  out  upon 
the  blood-crimsoned  snow.  And  now  the  Dutch 
succeeded  in  applying  the  torch.  The  whole  village, 
composed  of  the  most  combustible  materials,  was 
instantly  in  flames.     The  Indians  lost  all  self-posses 


Il6  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

sion.  They  ran  to  and  fro  in  a  state  of  frenzy.  As 
they  endeavored  to  escape  they  were,  with  unerring 
aim,  shot  down,  or  driven  back  into  their  blazing 
huts.  Thus  over  five  hundred  perished.  Of  all  who 
crowded  the  little  village  at  nightfall  but  eight 
escaped.  Only  eight  of  the  Dutch  were  wounded  ; 
but  not  one  fatally. 

The  conflagration  of  an  hour  laid  the  bark  village 
in  ashes.  Nothing  remained.  The  victors  built 
large  fires  and  bivouacked  upon  the  snow.  The 
next  day  they  returned  to  Stamford,  and  two  days 
afterward  reached  fort  Amsterdam. 

War  is  generally  ruin  to  both  parties.  In  this 
case  neither  of  the  combatants  gained  anything. 
Both  parties  alike  reaped  but  a  harvest  of  blood  and 
woe.  Scouting  parties  of  the  savages  prowled 
beneath  the  very  walls  of  fort  Amsterdam,  ready  at 
a  moment's  warning,  to  dart  into  the  wilderness, 
where  even  the  bravest  of  the  Dutch  could  not  ven- 
ture to  pursue.  For  the  protection  of  the  few  cattle 
which  remained,  all  the  men  turned  out  and  built  a 
stout  fence,  "  from  the  great  bowery  or  farm  acros3 
to  Emanuel  plantation,"  near  the  site  of  the  present 
Wall  street. 

During  the  whole  summer  of  1644,  the  savages 
were  busy  carrying  the  desolating  war  into  every 
unprotected    nook  and    corner.     The  condition    of 


WAR   AND   ITS  DEVASTATIONS.  117 

the  colony  became  desperate,  being  almost  entirely 
destitute  of  food,  money  and  clothing.  The  utter 
incompetency  of  Kieft  was  daily  more  conspicuous. 
He  did  nothing.  "  Scarce  a  foot  was  moved  on  land, 
or  an  oar  laid  in  the  water.''  The  savages,  thus  left 
in  security  to  fish  and  gather  in  their  crops,  were 
ever  increasingly  insolent  and  defiant.  One  of  the 
annalists  of  those  times  writes : 

"  Parties  of  Indians  roved  about  day  and  night, 
over  Manhattan  island,  killing  the  Dutch  not  a 
thousand  paces  from  fort  Amsterdam.  No  one 
dared  to  move  a  foot  to  fetch  a  stick  of  firewood 
without  a  strong  escort." 

Kieft,  in  his  overwhelming  embarrassments,  had 
found  it  necessary  to  convene  eight  select  men  to 
advise  him  and  to  aid  in  supporting  his  authority. 
These  select  men  decided  to  demand  of  the  home 
government  the  recall  of  Kieft,  whose  incapacity 
had  thus  plunged  the  once-flourishing  colony  into 
utter  ruin.  They  also  urged  the  introduction  into 
New  Netherland  of  the  municipal  system  of  the 
fatherland. 

In  their  brief  but  touching  memorial  they  write, 
"  Our  fields  lie  fallow  and  waste.  Our  dwellings  are 
burned.  Not  a  handful  can  be  sown  this  autumn  on 
the  deserted  places.  The  crops,  which  God  permit- 
ted to  come  forth  during  the  summer,  remain  rotting 


1 13  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

in  the  fields.  We  have  no  means  to  provide  neces* 
saries  for  wives  or  children.  We  sit  here  amidst 
thousands  of  savages  from  whom  we  can  find  neither 
peace  nor  mercy. 

"  There  are  those  among  us  who,  by  the  sweat 
and  labor  of  their  hands,  through  many  long  years 
and  at  great  expense,  have  endeavored  to  improve 
their  land.  Others  have  come  with  ships  freighted 
with  a  large  quantity  of  cattle.  They  have  cleared 
away  the  forest,  enclosed  their  plantations,  and 
brought  them  under  the  plough,  so  as  to  be  an  or- 
nament to  the  country  and  a  profit  to  the  proprie- 
tors after  their  long  and  laborious  toil.  The  whole 
of  these  now  lie  in  ashes  through  a  foolish  hanker- 
ing after  war. 

"  All  right-thinking  men  here  know  that  these 
Indians  have  lived  as  lambs  among  us  until  a  few 
years  ago,  injuring  no  man,  offering  every  assistance 
to  our  nation,  and  when  no  supplies  were  sent  for 
several  months,  furnishing  provisions  to  the  Com- 
pany's servants  until  they  received  supplies.  These 
hath  the  Director,  by  several  uncalled-for  proceedings 
from  time  to  time,  so  estranged  from  us,  and  so 
embittered  against  the  Netherlands  nation,  that  we 
do  not  believe  that  anything  will  bring  them  and 
peace  back,  unless  the  Lord,  who  bends  all  hearts  to 
his  will,  propitiate  their  people. 


WAR  AND   ITS  DEVASTATIONS.  Iig 

tl  Little  or  nothing  of  any  account  has  been  done 
here  for  the  country.  Every  place  is  going  to  ruin 
Neither  counsel  nor  advice  is  taken. " 

After  giving  an  account  of  the  origin  and  pro 
gress  of  the  war,  they  warn  the  home  government 
against  relying  upon  the  statements  which  the 
Director  had  sent  over  to  them.  ''These  state- 
ments," they  said,  °  contain  as  many  lies  as  lines." 
The  memorial  was  concluded  with  the  following 
forcible  words : 

u  Honored  Lords ;  this  is  what  we  have,  in  the 
sorrow  of  our  hearts,  to  complain  of.  We  shall 
end  here,  and  commit  the  matter  wholly  to  our  God, 
praying  that  he  will  move  your  lordships'  minds,  so 
that  a  Governor  may  be  speedily  sent  to  us  with  a 
beloved  peace,  or  that  we  may  be  permitted  to  re- 
turn with  our  wives  and  children,  to  our  dear  father- 
land. For  it  is  impossible  ever  to  settle  this  country 
until  a  different  system  be  introduced  here,  and  a 
new  Governor  sent  out." 

In  response  to  this  appeal  Kieft  was  recalled. 
Just  before  he  received  his  summons  peace  was  con- 
cluded with  the  Indians,  on  the  31st  of  August,  1645. 
The  war  had  raged  five  years.  It  had  filled  the  land 
with  misery.  All  were  alike  weary  of  its  carnage 
and  woes.  A  new  governor  was  appointed,  Petei 
Stuyvesant.     The  preceding  account  of  the  origin 


120  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

of  the  Dutch  colony  and  its  progress  thus  far  !s 
essential  to  the  understanding  of  the  long  and  suc- 
cessful administration  of  the  new  governor,  whose 
name  is  one  of  the  most  illustrious  in  the  early 
annals  of  New  York. 

It  may  be  worthy  of  brief  remark  that  a  few 
weeks  after  the  arrival  of  Governor  Stuyvesant, 
Kieft  embarked  in  the  ship  Princess  for  Holland. 
The  vessel  was  wrecked  on  the  coast  of  Wales 
Kieft  and  eighty-one  men,  women  and  children  sank 
into  a  watery  grave.  Kieft  died  unlamented.  His 
death  was  generally  regarded  as  an  act  of  retributive 
justice. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Governor  Stayvesant. 

New  Netherland  in  1646. — Early  Years  of  Peter  Stuyvesant. — Decay 
of  New  Amsterdam. — The  Germs  of  a  Representative  Govern 
ment. — Energetic  Administration. — Death  of  Governor  Win- 
throp. — Claims  for  Long  Island. — Arrogance  of  the  Governor. — 
Remonstrance  of  the  Nine  Men. — The  Pastoral  Office. — Boun 
dary  lines. — Increasing  Discontent. — Division  of  Parties. — Dic- 
tatorial Measures. 

It  is  estimated  that  the  whole  population  of  New 
Netherland,  in  the  year  1646,  amounted  to  about  one 
thousand  souls.  In  1643,  it  numbered  three  thou- 
sand. Such  was  the  ruin  which  the  mal-administra- 
tion  of  Kieft  had  brought  upon  the  colony.  The 
male  adult  population  around  Amsterdam  was  re- 
duced to  one  hundred.  At  the  same  time  the  pop- 
ulation of  the  flourishing  New  England  colonies  had 
increased  to  about  sixty  thousand. 

On  the  nth  of  May,  1647,  Governor  Stuyvesant 
arrived  at  Manhattan.  He  was  appointed  as  "  Re- 
dresser  General,"  of  all  colonial  abuses.  We  have 
but  little  knowledge  of  the  early  life  of  Peter  Stuy- 
vesant. The  West  India  Company  had  a  colony 
6 


122  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

upon  the  island  of  Curacoa,  in  the  Caribbean  Sea. 
For  some  time  Stuyvesant  had  been  its  efficient  Di- 
rector. He  was  the  son  of  a  clergyman  in  Fries- 
land,  one  of  the  northern  provinces  of  the  Nether- 
lands. 

He  received  a  good  academic  education,  becom- 
ing quite  a  proficient  in  the  Latin  language,  of 
which  accomplishment,  it  is  said  that  he  was  after- 
wards somewhat  vain.  At  school  he  was  impetuous, 
turbulent  and  self-willed.  Upon  leaving  the  acad- 
emy he  entered  the  military  service,  and  soon  de- 
veloped such  energy  of  character,  such  a  spirit  of 
self-reliance  and  such  administrative  ability  that 
he  was  appointed  director  of  the  colony  at  Curacoa. 
He  was  recklessly  courageous,  and  was  deemed  some- 
what unscrupulous  in  his  absolutism.  In  an  attack 
upon  the  Portuguese  island  of  Saint  Martin,  in  the 
year  1644,  which  attack  was  not  deemed  fully  justi- 
fiable, he  lost  a  leg.  The  wound  rendered  it  neces- 
sary for  him  to  return  to  Holland  in  the  autumn  of 
1644,  for  surgical  aid. 

Upon  his  health  being  re-established,  the  Direc- 
tors of  the  West  India  Company,  expressing  much 
admiration  for  his  Roman  courage,  appointed  him 
Governor  of  their  colony  in  New  Netherland,  which 
was  then  in  a  state  of  ruin.  There  were  also  under 
his   sway   the    islands   of    Curacoa,   Buenaire    and 


GOVERNOR   STUYVESANT.  1 23 

Amba.  The  Provincial  Government  presented  him 
with  a  paper  of  instructions  very  carefully  drawn  up. 
The  one-man  power,  which  Kieft  had  exercised,  was 
very  considerably  modified.  Two  prominent  offi- 
cers, the  Vice-Director  and  the  Fiscal,  were  associa- 
ted with  him  in  the  administration  of  all  civil  and 
military  affairs.  They  were  enjoined  to  take  especial 
care  that  the  English  should  not  further  encroach 
upon  the  Company's  territory.  They  were  also  di- 
rected to  do  everything  in  their  power  to  pacify  the 
Indians  and  to  restore  friendly  relations  with  them. 
No  fire-arms  or  ammunition  were,  under  any  cir- 
cumstances, to  be  sold  to  the  Indians. 

Van  Diricklagen  was  associated  with  the  Gov* 
ernor  as  Vice-Director,  and  ensign  Van  Dyck,  of 
whom  the  reader  has  before  heard,  was  appointed 
Fiscal,  an  important  office  corresponding  with  our 
post  of  Treasurer.  Quite  a  large  number  of  emi- 
grants, with  abundant  supplies,  accompanied  this 
party.  The  little  fleet  of  four  ships  left  the  Texel 
on  Christmas  day  of  1646.  The  expedition,  run- 
ning in  a  southerly  direction,  first  visited  the  West 
India  islands.  On  the  voyage  the  imperious  tem- 
per of  Stuyvesant  very  emphatically  developed  it- 
self. 

Holland  was  then  at  war  with  Spain.  A  prize 
was  captured  and  the  question  arose  respecting  its 


124  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

disposal.  Fiscal  Van  Dyck  claimed,  by  virtue  of  hia 
office,  a  seat  at  the  council  board  and  a  voice  in  the 
decision.  The  governor  rudely  repulsed  him  with 
the  woids, 

"  Get  out.  Who  admitted  you  into  the  council. 
When  I  want  you  I  will  call  you." 

When  they  arrived  at  Curacoa,  Van  Dyck  again 
made  an  attempt  to  gain  that  place  in  the  Council 
to  which  he  thought  his  office  legitimately  entitled 
him.  Stuyvesant  punished  him  by  confining  him  to 
the  ship,  not  allowing  him  to  step  on  shore.  All 
the  other  officers  and  soldiers  were  freely  allowed  to 
recruit  themselves  by  strolling  upon  the  land. 

Upon  reaching  Manhattan,  Stuyvesant  was  re- 
ceived by  the  whole  community  with  great  rejoic- 
ing. And  when  he  said,  "  I  shall  reign  over  you  as 
a  father  governs  his  children,'*  they  were  perhaps 
not  fully  aware  of  the  dictatorial  spirit  which  was  to 
animate  his  government.  With  wonderful  energy 
he  immediately  devoted  himself  to  the  reform  of 
abuses.  Though  he  availed  himself  of  absolute  pow- 
er, taking  counsel  of  no  one,  all  his  measures  seem 
to  have  been  adopted,  not  for  the  advancement  of 
his  own  selfish  interests,  but  for  the  promotion  of 
the  public  good. 

Proclamations  were  issued  against  Sabbath  des* 
ecration,  intemperance  and  all  quarrelling.     No  in 


GOVERNOR  STUYVESANT.  125 

toxicating  liquors  were  to  be  sold  to  the  savages 
under  a  penalty  of  five  hundred  guilders.  And  the 
seller  was  also  to  be  held  responsible  for  any  injury 
which  the  savage  might  inflict,  while  under  the  influ- 
ence of  strong  drink.  After  the  ringing  of  the  nine 
o'clock  bell  in  the  evening,  intoxicating  drinks  were 
not  to  be  sold  to  any  person  whatever. 

To  draw  a  knife  in  a  quarrel  was  to  be  punished 
with  a  heavy  fine  and  six  months  imprisonment.  If 
a  wound  was  inflicted  the  penalty  was  trebled. 
Great  faults  accompanied  this  development  of 
energy.  The  new  governor  assumed  "  state  and 
pomp  like  a  peacock's."  He  kept  all  at  a  distance 
from  him,  exacted  profound  homage,  and  led  many 
to  think  that  he  would  prove  a  very  austere  father. 
All  his  acts  were  characterized  by  great  vigor. 

New  Amsterdam,  at  that  time,  presented  a  very 
dilapidated  and  deplorable  appearance.  The  fort 
was  crumbling  to  ruins.  The  skeleton  of  an  unfin- 
ished church  deformed  the  view.  The  straggling 
fences  were  broken  down.  The  streets  were  narrow 
and  crooked,  many  of  the  houses  encroaching  upon 
them.  The  foul  enclosures  for  swine  bordered  the 
thoroughfares. 

A  system  of  taxation  upon  both  exports  and 
imports  was  introduced,  which  speedily  replenished 
the  treasury.    Governor  Stuyvesant  was  a  professing 


126  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

christian,  being  a  devout  member  of  the  Reformed 
Church  of  the  fatherland.  He  promptly  transferred 
his  relations  to  the  church  at  fort  Amsterdam.  He 
became  an  eider  in  the  church,  and  conscious  that 
the  christian  religion  was  the  basis  of  all  prosperity, 
one  of  his  first  acts  was  the  adoption  of  measures 
for  the  completion  of  the  church  edifice.  Proprietors 
of  vacant  lots  were  ordered  to  fence  them  in  and 
improve  them.  Surveyors  of  buildings  were  appoint- 
ed to  regulate  the  location  and  structure  of  new 
houses. 

The  embarrassments  which  surrounded  the  gov- 
ernor were  so  great  that  he  found  it  necessary  to 
support  his  authority  by  calling  public  opinion  to 
his  aid.  "  Necessity,"  writes  Rrodhead,  "  produced 
concession  and  prerogative  yielded  to  popular  rights 
The  Council  recommended  that  the  principle  of 
representation  should  be  conceded  to  the  people. 
Stuyvesant  consented." 

An  election  was  ordered  and  eighteen  "  of  the 
most  notable,  reasonable,  honest  and  respectable 
persons"  in  the  colony  were  chosen,  from  whom  the 
governor  was  to  select  nine  persons  as  a  sort  of 
privy  council.  It  is  said  that  Stuyvesant  was  very 
reluctant  to  yield  at  all  to  the  people,  and  that  he 
very  jealously  guarded  the  concessions  to  which  he 
was  constrained  to  assent.     By  this  measi.re  ropular 


GOVERNOR   STUYVESANT.  127 

rights  gained  largely.  The  Nine  Men  had  however 
only  the  power  to  give  advice  when  it  was  asked. 
When  assembled,  the  governor  could  attend  the 
meeting  and  act  as  president. 

Governor  Stuyvesant,  soon  after  his  arrival  at 
fort  Amsterdam,  addressed  courteous  letters  to  the 
governors  of  all  the  neighboring  colonies.  In  his 
letter  to  Governor  Winthrop,  of  Massachusetts,  he 
asserted  the  indubitable  right  of  the  Dutch  to  all 
the  territory  between  the  Connecticut  and  the  Dela- 
ware, and  proposed  an  interview  for  the  settlement 
of  all  difficulties. 

An  Amsterdam  ship,  the  Saint  Benino,  entered 
the  harbor  of  New  Haven,  and  for  a  month  engaged 
in  trade  without  a  license  from  the  West  India  Com- 
pany. Stuyvesant,  ascertaining  the  fact,  sent  a 
company  of  soldiers  on  a  secret  expedition  to  New 
Haven,  seized  the  vessel  on  the  Lord's  day,  brought 
her  to  Manhattan,  and  confiscated  both  ship  and 
cargo. 

Emboldened  by  success,  Stuyvesant  sent  a  letter 
to  the  authorities  at  New  Haven  claiming  all  the 
region  from  Cape  Henlopen  to  Cape  Cod  as  part  of 
the  territory  of  New  Netherland,  and  affirming  his 
right  to  levy  duties  upon  all  Dutch  vessels  trading 
within  those  limit:-. 

Governor  Eaton,  of  the  New  Haven  colony,  sent 


128  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

back  a  remonstrance  protesting  against  the  Dutch 
governor  as  a  disturber  of  the  public  peace  by 
"making  unjust  claims  to  our  lands  and  plantations, 
to  our  havens  and  rivers,  and  by  taking  a  ship  out 
of  our  harbor  without  our  license." 

Three  deserters  from  Manhattan  fled  to  New 
Haven.  Governor  Eaton,  though  bound  by  treaty 
obligations  to  deliver  them  up,  yet  indignant  in  view 
of  what  he  deemed  the  arrogant  claim  of  Governor 
Stuyvesant,  refused  to  surrender  them,  lest  the 
surrender  should  be  deemed  as  "  done  in  the  way  of 
subordination."  The  impetuous  Stuyvesant  at  once 
issued  a  retaliatory  proclamation  in  which  he  said : 

"  If  any  person,  noble  or  ignoble,  freeman  or 
slave,  debtor  or  creditor,  yea,  to  the  lowest  prisoner 
included,  run  away  from  the  colony  at  New  Haven, 
or  seek  refuge  in  our  limits,  he  shall  remain  free, 
under  our  protection,  on  taking  the  oath  of  allegi- 
ance." 

This  decree  excited  strong  disapprobation  at 
home  as  well  as  in  the  other  colonies.  The  inhabi- 
tants of  Manhattan  objected  to  it  as  tending  to  con- 
vert the  province  into  a  refuge  for  vagabonds  from 
the  neighboring  English  settlements.  After  a  few 
months  the  obnoxious  proclamation  was  revoked. 
But  in  the  meantime  Governor  Stuyvesant  had 
bribed  the  runaways,  who  had  been  taken  into  the 


GOVERNOR  STUYVESANT.  1 29 

public  service  at  New  Haven,  to  escape  and  return 
home. 

As  a  precaution  against  fire,  it  was  ordered  that 
if  a  house  were  burned  through  the  owner's  negli- 
gence, he  should  be  heavily  fined.  Fire-wardens 
were  appointed  to  inspect  the  buildings.  If  any 
chimney  was  found  foul,  the  owner  was  fined  and 
the  sum  was  appointed  to  purchasing  fire-ladders, 
hooks  and  buckets.  As  nearly  one-fourth  of  the 
houses  were  licensed  for  the  sale  of  brandy,  tobacco 
or  beer,  it  was  resolved  that  no  farther  licenses 
should  be  granted.  It  was  ordered  that  cattle  and 
swine  should  be  pastured  within  proper  enclosures. 
And  it  was  also  ordained  that,  "  from  this  time  forth, 
in  the  afternoon  as  well  as  in  the  forenoon,  there 
shall  be  preaching  from  God's  word."  Many  of  the 
Indians  were  employed  as  servants  or  day  laborers. 
They  were  often  defrauded  of  their  wages.  A 
decree  was  issued,  punishing  with  a  fine  those  who 
neglected  to  pay  these  debts. 

In  January,  1649,  Charles  I.,  of  England,  was 
beheaded  in  front  of  his  own  banqueting  hall,  and 
England  became  nominally  a  republic.  The  event 
created  the  most  profound  sensation  throughout  alJ 
Christendom.  The  shock,  which  agitated  all  Europe, 
was  felt  in  America.  The  prince  of  Wales  and  the 
duke  of  York,  escaping  from  England,  took  refuge 
6* 


130  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

in  Holland  with  their  brother-in-law,  the  stadtholder, 
William,  prince  of  Orange.  A  rupture  between 
England  and  Holland  appeared  imminent.  The 
Puritans  in  America  were  well  pleased  with  the 
establishment  of  a  republic  in  their  native  land.  A 
war  between  the  two  European  nations  would  prob- 
ably bring  all  the  Dutch  colonies  under  the  control 
of  England.  The  West  India  Company,  in  view  of 
these  perils,  urged  Stuyvesant  "  to  live  with  his 
neighbors  on  the  best  terms  possible.'' 

On  the  24th  of  March,  of  this  year,  the  venera- 
ble Governor  Winthrop,  of  Massachusetts,  died,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-one.  Governor  Eaton,  of  New 
Haven,  proposed  to  Stuyvesant  a  meeting  of  the 
Governors,  at  Boston,  to  discuss  the  affairs  of  the 
colonies.  The  meeting  was  held  in  August.  It 
was  not  harmonious.  The  Dutch  were  forbidden 
from  trading  anywhere  with  the  Indians  within  the 
territory  of  the  English  colonies,  and  Stuyvesant 
was  very  emphatically  informed  that  the  English 
claimed  all  the  territory  between  Cape  Cod  and  New 
Haven. 

Lady  Stirling,  widow  of  Lord  Stirling,  deter- 
mined to  maintain  her  title  to  the  whole  of  Long 
Island.  She  sent  an  agent,  who  announced  himself 
to  the  English  settlers  at  Hempstead,  on  the  north- 
ern portion  of  the  island,  as  governor  of  the  whole 


GOVERNOR   STUYVESANT.  13? 

island  under  the  Dowager  Countess  of  Stirling. 
Intelligence  of  this  was  speedily  sent  to  Stuyvesant. 
The  Dutch  Governor  caused  his  immediate  arrest, 
ordered  him,  notwithstanding  his  "very  consequen- 
tial airs,"  to  be  examined  before  the  council,  tooK 
copies  of  his  papers,  and  placed  him  on  board  ship 
for  Holland.  The  ship  put  in  at  an  English  port, 
the  agent  escaped  and  was  heard  of  no  more. 

The  council,  much  displeased  with  the  absolutism 
assumed  by  Stuyvesant,  resolved  to  send  one  of 
their  number,  a  remarkably  energetic  man,  Adrien 
Van  Der  Donck,  to  Holland  to  seek  redress  from 
the  home  government.  The  movement  was  some- 
what secret,  and  they  endeavored  to  conceal  from 
the  governor  the  papers  which  were  drawn  up,  con- 
taining the  charges  against  him.  The  spirit  of  Stuy- 
vesant was  roused. 

He  went  in  person,  with  some  officers,  to  the 
chamber  of  Van  Der  Donck,  when  he  was  absent, 
seized  his  papers,  and  then  caused  him  to  be  arrest- 
ed and  imprisoned. 

The  Vice  Director,  Van  Diricklagen,  accompa- 
nied by  a  delegation  from  the  people,  protested 
against  these  proceedings,  and  demanded  that  Van 
Der  Donck  should  be  released  from  captivity  and 
held  on  bail.  Stuyvesant  refused,  saying  that  the 
prisoner  was   arrested,   "  for  calumniating  the    offi- 


132  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

cers  of  government ;  that  his  conduct  tended  to 
bring  the  sovereign  authority  into  contempt." 
Van  Der  Donck  was  punished  by  banishment  from 
the  council  and  from  the  board  of  Nine  Men. 

Just  before  this,  two  prominent  men,  Kuyter 
and  Melyn,  demanded  an  appeal  to  the  people  in 
reference  to  some  act  of  Kieft's  reckless  administra- 
tion. Stuyvesant  took  the  alarm.  If  the  people 
could  judge  of  Kieft's  administration,  his  own  might 
be  exposed  to  the  same  ordeal.  Convening  a  spe- 
cial council,  he  said, 

11  These  petitioners  are  disturbers  of  the  public 
peace.  If  we  grant  their  request,  will  not  the  cun- 
ning fellows,  in  order  to  usurp  over  us  a  more  un- 
limited power,  claim  even  greater  authority  against 
ourselves,  should  it  happen  that  our  administration 
may  not  square  in  every  respect  with  their  whims. 
It  is  treason  to  petition  against  one's  magistrate 
whether  there  be  cause  or  not." 

The  unfortunate  petitioners  were  now  arraigned 
on  various  charges.  The  Governor  and  his  subser- 
vient Council  acted  both  as  prosecutors  and  judges. 
The  prisoners  were  accused  of  instigating  the  war 
with  the  savages,  of  counselling  the  mortgaging  of 
Manhattan  to  the  English,  and  of  threatening  Kieft 
with  personal  violence.  The  case  was  speedily  de* 
cided  and  sentence   was   pronounced.     Stuyvesant 


GOVERNOR   STUYVESANT.  1 33 

wished  Melyn  to  be  punished  with  death  and  confis- 
cation of  property.  But  the  majority  of  the  Council 
held  back  the  Governor's  avenging  hand.  Still  he 
succeeded  in  sentencing  Meiyn  to  seven  years'  ban- 
ishment, to  a  fine  of  three  hundred  guilders,  and  to 
forfeit  all  benefits  derived  from  the  Company.  Kuy- 
ter  was  sentenced  to  three  years'  banishment  and  to 
a  fine  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  guilders.  They  were 
also  denied  the  right  of  appeal  to  the  fatherland. 

u  If  I  were  persuaded,"  said  the  Governor,  "  that 
you  would  divulge  our  sentence,  or  bring  it  before 
their  High  Mightinesses,  I  would  have  you  hanged 
at  once,  on  the  highest  tree  in  New  Netherlands 

Again  he  said,  with  characteristic  energy,  u  If  any 
one,  during  my  administration,  shall  appeal,  I  will 
make  him  a  foot  shorter,  and  send  the  pieces  to 
Holland  and  let  him  appeal  in  that  way.''** 

Melyn  and  Kuyter  being  sent  to  Holland  as  crim- 
inals, did  appeal  to  the  home  government ;  their 
harsh  sentence  was  suspended  ;  they  were  restored 
to  all  the  rights  of  colonists  of  New  Netherland,  and 
Stuyvesant  was  cited  to  defend  his  sentence  at  the 
Hague,  When  Melyn  returned  to  Manhattan  with 
these  authoritative  papers,  a  great  tumult  was  excit- 
ed.    Anxious  that  his  triumph  should  be  as  public 

*  History  of  the   State  o     New  York,  By  John  Romeyn  Brod- 
head  Vol  I.  p.  473. 


134  PETER  STUYVE5ANT. 

as  his  disgrace  had  been,  he  demanded  that  frhe 
Acts  should  be  read  to  the  people  assembled  in  the 
church.  With  much  difficulty  he  carried  his  point. 
"  I  honor  the  States  and  shall  obey  their  com- 
mands/' said  Stuyvesant,  u  I  shall  send  an  attorney 
to  sustain  the  sentence." 

The  Indians  loudly,  and  with  one  accord,  de- 
manded the  right  to  purchase  fire-arms.  For  years 
they  had  been  constantly  making  such  purchases, 
either  through  the  colonists  at  Rensselaerswyck,  or 
from  private  traders.  It  was  feared  that  the  persist- 
ent refusal  to  continue  the  supply,  might  again  in- 
stigate them  to  hostilities.  The  Directors  of  the 
West  India  government  therefore  intimated  that 
"  it  was  the  best  policy  to  furnish  them  with  pow« 
der  and  ball,  but  with  a  sparing  hand.'' 

Stuyvesant  ordered  a  case  of  guns  to  be  brought 
over  from  Holland.  They  were  landed  openly  at 
fort  Amsterdam  and  placed  under  the  care  of  an 
agent  of  the  governor.  Thus  Stuyvesant  himself 
was  to  monopolize  the  trade,  which  was  extremely 
lucrative  ;  for  the  Indians  would  pay  almost  any 
price  for  guns,  powder  and  shot.  This  increased  the 
growing  dissatisfaction.  The  Indians  would  readily 
exchange  skins  to  the  amount  of  forty  dollars  for  a 
gun,  and  of  four  dollars  for  a  pound  of  powder. 

"The  governor,''  it  was   said,  "assumes    to  be 


GOVERNOR  STUYVESANT.  1 35 

everything.  He  establishes  shops  for  himself  and 
does  the  business  of  the  whole  country.  He  is  a 
brewer  and  has  breweries.  He  is  a  ship-owner,  a 
merchant,  and  a  trader  in  both  lawful  and  contra- 
band articles.'* 

The  Nine  Men  persisted  in  their  resolve  to  send 
a  remonstrance  to  the  fatherland.  The  memorial 
was  signed  and  forwarded  the  latter  part  of  July. 
In  this  important  document,  which  first  gave  a  brief 
account  of  the  past  history  of  the  colony,  the  admin- 
istration of  Stuyvesant  was  reviewed  with  much 
severity. 

"  In  our  opinion,"  said  the  remonstrants,  "  this 
country  will  never  flourish  under  the  present  gov- 
ernment. The  country  must  be  provided  with  godly, 
honorable  and  intelligent  rulers,  who  are  not  very 
indigent,  and  who  are  not  too  covetous.  The  mode 
in  which  this  country  is  now  governed  is  intolerable. 
Nobody  is  secure  in  his  property  longer  than  the 
Director  pleases,  who  is  generally  strongly  inclined 
to  confiscating.  A  good  population  would  be  the 
consequence  of  a  good  government  Many  would 
be  allured  here  by  the  pleasantness,  situation,  salu- 
brity and  fruitfulness  of  the  country,  if  protection 
were  secured." 

Three  of  the  signers  were  deputed  to  convey 
the  remonstrance  to  the  Hague  and  lay  it  before  the 


136  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

authorities  there.  The  pastor  of  the  church  at  Man* 
hattan,  Domine  Backerus,  returned  to  Holland  with 
the  commissioners.  He  was  greatly  dissatisfied  with 
the  regime  of  the  governor,  and  upon  his  arrival  in 
Holland,  joined  the  complainants. 

Domine  Megapolensis,  who  had  been  pastor 
of  the  church  at  Rensselaerswyck,  having  obtained 
letters  of  dismission  from  his  church,  was  also  about 
to  sail  to  the  fatherland.  The  colonists,  generally 
religiously  disposed,  were  greatly  troubled,  being 
threatened  with  a  total  loss  of  the  gospel  ministry. 
By  the  earnest  solicitation  of  Stuyvesant,  he  con- 
sented to  remain  at  Manhattan,  where  he  was 
formally  installed  as  pastor  of  the  church,  upon  a 
salary  of  twelve  hundred  guilders,  which  was  about 
four  hundred  dollars.  At  the  same  time  the  ener- 
getic governor  manifested  his  interest  in  education 
by  writing  earnestly  to  Amsterdam,  urging  that  a 
pious,  well-qualified  and  diligent  schoolmaster  might 
be  sent  out.  "  Nothing,"  he  added,  "  is  of  greater 
importance  than  the  right,  early  instruction  of 
youth." 

The  governor  was  sorely  annoyed  by  the  action 
of  the  States-General,  reversing  his  sentence  against 
Melyn  and  Kuyter.  He  wrote  that  he  should  obey 
their  decision,  but  that  he  would  rather  never  have 
received  their  commission  as  governor,  than  to  have 


GOVERNOR   STUYVESANT.  1 37 

had  his  authority  lowered  in  the  eyes  of  his  neigh- 
bors and  friends. 

The  three  commissioners,  bearing  the  memorial 
of  the  Nine  Men,  reached  Holland  in  safety.  The 
States-General  received  their  memorial,  and  also 
listened  to  the  reply  of  the  agent,  whom  Stuyvesant 
had  sent  out  to  plead  his  cause.  The  decision  of 
the  States  was  virtually  a  rebuke  of  the  dictatorial 
government  of  Stuyvesant,  and  several  very  impor- 
tant reforms  were  ordered.  This  decision  displeased 
the  West  India  Company.  Those  men  deemed 
their  rights  infringed  upon  by  this  action  of  the 
States-General.  They  were  therefore  led  to  espouse 
the  cause  of  the  governor.  Thus  strengthened, 
Stuyvesant  ventured  to  disregard  the  authority  ol 
the  States-General. 

The  Dutch  at  Manhattan  began  to  be  clamorous 
for  more  of  popular  freedom.  Stuyvesant,  hoping 
to  enlist  the  sympathies  of  the  governors  of  the 
English  colonies  in  his  behalf,  made  vigorous  ar- 
rangements for  the  long  projected  meeting  with  the 
Commissioners  of  the  United  Colonies. 

On  the  17th  of  September,  1650,  Governor  Stuy- 
vesant embarked  at  Manhattan,  with  his  secretary, 
George  Baxter,  and  quite  an  imposing  suite. 
Touching  at  several  places  along  the  sound,  he  ar- 
rived at  Hartford  in  four  days.     After  much  discus- 


I38  PETER   STUYVESANT, 

sion  it  was  agreed  to  refer  all  differences,  of  the 
points  in  controversy,  to  four  delegates,  two  to  be 
chosen  from  each  side.  It  is  worthy  of  special  re- 
mark that  Stuyvesant's  secretary  was  an  English- 
man, and  he  chose  two  Englishmen  for  his  dele- 
gates. 

In  the  award  delivered  by  the  arbitrators,  it  was 
decided  that  upon  Long  Island  a  line  running  from 
the  westernmost  part  of  Oyster  Bay,  in  a  straight 
direction  to  the  sea,  should  be  the  bound  between 
the  English  and  the  Dutch  territory;  the  easterly 
part  to  belong  to  the  English,  the  westernmost  part 
to  the  Dutch.  Upon  the  mainland,  the  boundary 
line  was  to  commence  on  the  west  side  of  Greenwich 
bay,  about  four  miles  from  Stamford,  and  to  run  in 
a  northerly  direction  twenty  miles  into  the  country, 
provided  that  the  said  line  came  not  within  ten 
miles  of  the  Hudson  river.  The  Dutch  were  not  to 
build  any  house  within  six  miles  of  said  line.  The 
inhabitants  of  Greenwich  were  to  remain,  till  further 
consideration,  under  the  Government  of  the  Dutch. 
It  was  also  decided  that  a  nearer  union  of  friendship 
and  amity,  between  England  and  the  Dutch  colonies 
in  America,  should  be  recommended  to  the  several 
jurisdictions  of  the  United  Colonies. 

Stuyvesant  reported  the  result  of  these  negotia- 
tions to  the  Chamber  at  Amsterdam  but,  for  some 


GOVERNOR  STUYVESANT.  1 39 

unexplained  reason,  did  not  send  to  that  body  a 
copy  of  the  treaty.  Upon  his  return  to  Manhattan 
he  was  immediately  met  with  a  storm  of  discontent. 
His  choice  of  two  Englishmen  as  the  referees,  to 
represent  the  Dutch  cause,  gave  great  offence.  It 
was  deemed  an  insult  to  his  own  countrymen. 
There  was  a  general  disposition  with  the  colonists 
to  repudiate  a  treaty  which  the  Dutch  had  had  no 
hand  in  forming.  Complaints  were  sent  to  Holland 
that  the  Governor  had  surrendered  more  territory 
than  might  have  formed  fifty  colonies  ;  and  that,  re- 
jecting those  reforms  in  favor  of  popular  rights 
which  the  home  government  had  ordered,  he  was 
controlling  all  things  with  despotic  power. 

"  This  grievous  and  unsuitable  government, ''  the 
Nine  Men  wrote,  "  ought  at  once  to  be  reformed. 
The  measures  ordered  by  the  home  government 
should  be  enforced  so  that  we  may  live  as  happily 
as  our  neighbors.  Our  term  of  office  is  about  to 
expire.  The  governor  has  declared  that  he  will 
not  appoint  any  other  select  men.  We  shall  not 
dare  again  to  assemble*  in  a  body ;  for  we  dread  un 
justifiable  prosecutions,  and  we  can  already  discern 
the  smart  thereof  from  afar."  * 

Notwithstanding  these  reiterated  rebukes,  Stuy- 

*  John  Romem  Brodhead,  Vol.  r.  p.  521.  E.  B.  O'Callaghan.  M  D 
Vol  2.  p.  157. 


140  PETER  STU  YVES  ANT. 

vesant  persisted  in  his  arbitrary  course.  The  vice 
director,  Van  Diricklagen,  and  the  fiscal  or  treasurer 
Van  Dyck,  united  in  a  new  protest  expressing  the 
popular  griefs.  Van  Der  Donck  was  the  faithful 
representative  of  the  commonalty  in  their  father 
land.  The  vice-director,  in  forwarding  the  new  pro- 
test to  him  wrote, 

44  Our  great  Muscovy  duke  keeps  on  as  of  old; 
something  like  the  wolf,  the  longer  he  lives  the 
worse  he  bites." 

It  is  a  little  remarkable  that  the  English  refu- 
gees, who  were  quite  numerous  in  the  colony,  were 
in  sympathy  with  the  arbitrary  assumptions  of  the 
governor.  They  greatly  strengthened  his  hands  by 
sending  a  Memorial  to  the  West  India  Company, 
condemning  the  elective  franchise  which  the  Dutch 
colonists  desired. 

"  We  willingly  acknowledge,"  they  wrote,  "  that 
the  power  to  elect  a  governor  from  among  ourselves, 
which  is,  we  know,  the  design  of  some  here,  would 
be  our  ruin,  by  reason  of  our  factions  and  the  differ- 
ence of  opinion  which  prevails  among  us." 

The  West  India  Company,  not  willing  to  relin- 
quish the  powers  which  it  grasped,  was  also  in  very 
decided  opposition  to  the  spirit  of  popular  freedom 
which  the  Dutch  colonists  were  urging,  and  which 
was  adopted  by  the  States-General.     Thus,  in  thte 


GOVERNOR   STUYVLoANT.  I4I 

great  controversy,  the  governor,  the  West  India 
Company  and  the  English  settlers  in  the  colony  were 
on  one  side.  Upon  the  other  side  stood  the  States- 
General  and  the  Dutch  colonists  almost  without 
exception. 

The  vice-director  was  punished  for  his  protest, 
by  expulsion  from  the  council  and  by  imprisonment 
in  the  guard-room  for  four  days.  Upon  his  libera- 
tion he  took  refuge  with  the  Patroon  on  Staten 
Island.  The  notary,  who  had  authenticated  the 
protest,  was  dismissed  from  office  and  forbidden  any 
farther  to  practice  his  profession.  In  every  possible 
way,  Stuyvesant  manifested  his  displeasure  against 
his  own  countrymen  of  the  popular  party,  while  the 
English  were  treated  with  the  utmost  consideration. 

In  the  treaty  of  Hartford  no  reference  was  made 
to  the  interests  of  the  Dutch  on  the  south,  or  Dela- 
ware river.  The  New  Haven  people  equipped  a 
vessel  and  dispatched  fifty  emigrants  to  establish  a 
colony  upon  some  lands  there,  which  they  claimed 
to  have  purchased  of  the  Indians.  The  governot 
regarded  this  as  a  breach  of  the  treaty,  for  the  Eng« 
lish  territory  terminated  and  the  Dutch  began  at 
the  bay  of  Greenwich.  The  expedition  put  in  at 
Manhattan.  The  energetic  governor  instantly  ar 
rested  the  leaders  and  held  them  in  close  confine- 
ment  till  they  signed  a  promise  not  to  proceed  to 


T42  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

the   Delaware.     The   emigrants,   thu6   discomfited 
returned  to  New  Haven. 

At  the  same  time  Governor  Stuyvesant  sent  a 
very  emphatic  letter  to  Governor  Eaton  of  New 
Haven,  in  which  he  wrote  : 

"  I  shall  employ  force  of  arms  and  martial  oppo- 
sition, even  to  bloodshed,  against  all  English  in- 
truders within  southern  New  Netherland." 

In  this  movement  of  the  English  to  get  a  foot- 
hold upon  the  Delaware  river,  Stuyvesant  thought 
he  saw  a  covert  purpose  on  their  part,  to  dispossess 
the  Dutch  of  all  their  possessions  in  America. 
Thinking  it  not  improbable  that  it  might  be  neces- 
sary to  appeal  to  arms,  he  demanded  of  the  authori- 
ties of  Rensselaerswyck  a  subsidy.  The  patroons, 
who  had  been  at  great  expense  in  colonizing  the 
territory,  deemed  the  demand  unjust,  and  sent  a 
commissioner  to  remonstrate  against  it.  Stuyvesant 
arrested  the  commissioner  and  held  him  in  close 
confinement  for  four  months. 

The  Swedes  were  also  making  vigorous  efforts  to 
get  possession  of  the  beautiful  lands  on  the  Dela- 
ware. Stuyvesant,  with  a  large  suite  of  officers, 
visited  that  region.  In  very  decided  terms  he 
communicated  to  Printz  the  Swedish  governor  there, 
that  the  Dutch  claimed  the  territory  upon  the  three- 
fold title  of  discovery,  settlement  and  purchase  from 


GOVERNOR  STUYVESANT.  I43 

the  natives.  He  then  summoned  all  the  Indian 
chiefs  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  in  a  grand  council 
at  fort  Nassau.  After  a  "  solemn  conference"  these 
chiefs  ceded  to  the  West  India  Company  all  the 
lands  on  both  sides  of  the  river  to  a  point  called  by 
them  Neuwsings,  near  the  mouth  of  the  bay. 

The  Swedes  were  left  in  possession  only  of  a 
small  territory  surrounding  their  fort,  called  Chris- 
tina. As  Stuyvesant  thought  fort  Nassau  too  far 
up  the  river  and  inconvenient  of  access,  he  de- 
molished it.  In  its  seclusion  in  the  wilderness  it 
had  stood  for  twenty-eight  years.  A  new  fort  called 
Casimir  was  erected,  on  the  west  side  of  the  river 
near  the  present  site  of  New  Castle,  four  miles 
below  the  Swedish  fort  Christina.  Having  thus 
triumphantly  accomplished  his  object,  Stuyvesant 
returned  to  Manhattan* 


CHAPTER   VII. 
War  Between  England  and  Holland. 

Action  of  the  Patroons. — Settlements  on  the  Hudson. — Alarm  of 
the  Home  Government. — Recall  of  Stuyvesant. — His  Escape 
from  Humiliation.— Difficulties  between  England  and  Hol- 
land.— The  Breaking  out  of  War. — Directions  to  Stuyvesant. 
— The  Relations  of  the  Colonies. — Charges  against  the  Dutch 
Governor. — Their  Refutation. — Efforts  of  Stuyvesant  for 
Peace. — Noble  Conduct  of  the  Massachusetts  Government.-*- 
The  Advocates  for  War. 

Governor  Stuyvesant  having  removed  the  ob- 
noxious vice-director,  had  another,  Johannes  Dyck- 
man,  who  he  thought  would  be  more  subservient  to 
his  wishes,  appointed  in  his  stead.  The  commissa- 
ry of  the  patroons,  whom  he  had  imprisoned  at 
Manhattan,  secreted  himself  on  board  a  sloop  and  es- 
caped up  the  river  to  Beaverwyck.  The  enraged 
governor  seized  the  skipper  of  the  sloop  on  his  re- 
turn, and  inflicted  upon  him  a  heavy  fine. 

The  patroons  were  now  fearful  that  the  governor 
would  fulfil  his  threat  of  extending  his  authority 
over  the  extensive  territory  whose  jurisdiction  the 
Charter  of  Privileges  had  entrusted  exclusively  to 
the  patroons.     They  therefore,  on  an  appointed  day 


WAR  BETWEEN   ENGLAND  AND   HOLLAND.     I45 

assembled  the  freemen  and  householders  who  bound 
themselves,  by  an  oath,  "  to  maintain  and  support 
offensively  and  defensively  the  right  and  jurisdic- 
tion of  the  colony  against  every  one." 

Among  the  persons  who  took  this  oath  we  find 
the  name  of  John  Baptist  Van  Rensselaer.  He  was 
the  younger  half-brother  of  the  patroon,  and  proba- 
bly the  first  of  the  name  who  came  to  New  Nether- 
land.  It  was  now  reported  that  Governor  Stuyve- 
sant  himself  was  about  to  visit  fort  Orange,  and  that 
a  new  gallows  was  being  prepared  for  those  who 
should  attempt  to  thwart  his  wishes.  The  govern- 
or soon  arrived  and,  with  his  customary  explicitness, 
informed  the  authorities  there,  that  the  territory  by 
the  Exemptions,  allowed  to  the  patroon,  was  to  ex- 
tend sixteen  miles  on  one  side  of  the  river,  or  eight 
miles  if  both  banks  were  occupied.  He  called  upon 
them  to  define  their  boundaries,  saying  that  he 
should  recognize  the  patroons'  jurisdiction  only  to 
that  extent.  These  limits  would  include  but  a 
small  portion  of  the  territory  which  the  patroons 
claimed  by  right  of  purchase  from  the  Indians. 

The  authorities  were  not  prepared  to  act  upon 
this  question  without  instructions  from  Holland. 
Stuyvesant  would  admit  of  no  delay.  He  sent  a 
party  of  fourteen  soldiers,  armed  with  muskets,  to 
the  patroon's  house,  who  entered  the  enclosuie, 
7 


I46  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

fired  a  volley,  and  hauled  down  the  flag  of  the  pa 
troon.  He  then  issued  a  decree  that  Beaverswyck, 
which  included  the  region  now  occupied  by  the  city 
of  Albany,  was  independent  of  the  patroon's  govern- 
ment, and  was  brought  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
colony  of  fort  Amsterdam. 

Van  Slechtenhorst,  the  patroon's  bold  and  effi- 
cient Commissary  at  Rensselaerswick,  ordered  the 
governor's  placards,  announcing  this  change,  to  be 
torn  down,  and  a  counter  proclamation,  affirming 
the  claims  of  the  patroon  to  be  posted  in  its  stead. 
The  governor  arrested  him,  imprisoned  him  for  a 
time  in  fort  Orange,  and  then  removed  him  to  New 
Amsterdam,  where  he  was  held  in  close  custody, 
until  his  successor,  John  Baptist  Van  Rensselaer,  was 
formally  appointed  in  his  place. 

At  this  time,  1652,  there  were  no  settlements, 
and  but  a  few  scattered  farmhouses  between  the  isl- 
and of  Manhattan  and  the  Catskill  mountains. 
Thomas  Chambers  had  a  farm  at  what  is  now  Troy. 
With  a  few  neighbors  he  moved  down  the  river  to 
"  some  exceedingly  beautiful  lands,"  and  began  the 
settlement  of  the  present  county  of  Ulster. 

Stuyvesant  returning  to  Manhattan,  forbade  any 
persons  from  buying  lands  of  the  Indians  without 
his  permission.  The  large  sales  which  had  been 
made  to  prominent  individuals  were  declared  to  be 


WAR  BETWEEN  ENGLAND  AND  HOLLAND.   14; 

void,  and  the  "pretended  proprietors/'  were  ordered 
to  return  the  purchase  money.  Should  they  how- 
ever petition  the  governor,  they  might  retain  such 
tracts  as  he  and  his  council  should  permit. 

By  grant  of  the  governor  several  new  settlements 
were  commenced  on  Long  Island,  one  at  Newton, 
one  at  Flatbush.  The  news  had  now  reached 
the  Directors  of  the  Company  in  Holland,  of  the 
governor's  very  energetic  measures  on  the  Delaware, 
supplanting  the  Swiss,  demolishing  fort  Nassau  and 
erecting  fort  Casimir.  They  became  alarmed  lest 
such  violent  measures  might  embroil  them  with  the 
Swedish  government.  In  a  letter  addressed  to 
Stuyvesant,  they  wrote  : 

"Your  journey  to  the  South  river,  and  what  has 
passed  there  between  you  and  the  Swedes,  was  very 
unexpected  to  us,  as  you  did  not  give  us  before  so 
much  as  a  hint  of  your  intention.  We  cannot  give 
our  opinion  upon  it  until  we  have  heard  the  com- 
plaints of  the  Swedish  governor  to  his  queen,  and 
have  ascertained  how  these  have  been  received  at 
her  court.  We  hope  that  our  arguments,  to  prove 
that  we  were  the  first  possessors  of  that  country, 
will  be  acknowledged  as  sufficient.  Time  will  in- 
struct us  of  the  design  of  the  new-built  fort  Casimir 
We  are  at  a  loss  to  conjecture  for  what  reason  it  haa 
received  this  name.     You  ought  to  be  on  your  guard 


I48  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

that  it  be  well  secured,  so  that  it  cannot  be  sur- 
prised.*' 

The  States -General  were  more  and  more  dissatis. 
fied  with  the  measures  of  Governor  Stuyvesant. 
The  treaty  of  Hartford  was  severely  censured. 
They  said  that  the  Connecticut  river  should  have 
been  the  eastern  boundary  of  New  Netherland,  and 
that  the  whole  of  Long  Island  should  have  been 
retained.  Even  the  West  India  Company  became 
convinced  that  it  was  necessary  to  make  some  con- 
cessions to  the  commonalty  at  Manhattan.  They 
therefore  communicated  to  Stuyvesant  their  consent 
that  the  "  burgher  government"  should  be  estab- 
lished, which  the  committee  of  Nine  had  petitioned 
for  in  behalf  of  the  commonalty,  in  1649,  and  which 
the  States-General  had  authorized  in  1650. 

By  this  arrangement  the  people  were  to  elect 
seven  representatives,  who  were  to  form  a  municipal 
court  of  justice,  subject  to  the  right  of  appeal  to 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  province.  The  sheriff  was 
also  invested  with  new  powers.  He  was  to  convoke 
and  preside  at  the  municipal  court,  to  prosecute  all 
offenders  against  the  laws,  and  to  take  care  that 
all  the  judgments  of  the  court  should  be  executed. 
The  people  at  Manhattan  had  thus  won,  to  a  very 
considerable  degree,  the  popular  government  which 
they  had  so  long  desired. 


WAR   BETWEEN   ENJLAND   AND   HOLLAND.     149 

Quite  to  the  amazement  of  the  Directors  of  the 
West  India  Company,  the  States-General  recalled 
Stuyvesant,  ordering  him  to  return  immediately  to 
Holland  to  give  an  account  of  his  administration. 
He  had  been  in  the  main  the  faithful  agent  of  the 
Company,  carrying  out  its  wishes  in  opposition  to 
popular  reform.  They  therefore  wrote  to  him, 
stating  that  the  requirement  was  in  violation  of  their 
charter,  and  requesting  him  M  not  to  be  in  too  much 
haste  to  commence  his  voyage,  but  to  delay  it  until 
the  receipt  of  further  orders." 

It  so  happened,  however,  that  then  the  States- 
General  were  just  on  the  eve  of  hostilities  with 
England.  It  was  a  matter  of  the  first  importance 
that  New  Netherland  should  be  under  the  rule  of  a 
governor  of  military  experience,  courage  and  energy 
No  man  could  excel  Stuyvesant  in  these  qualities. 
Yielding  to  the  force  of  circumstances,  the  States- 
General  revoked  their  recall.  Thus  narrowly  Stuy- 
vesant escaped  the  threatened  humiliation. 

The  English  government  was  angry  with  Holland 
for  refusing  to  expel  the  royalist  refugees,  who,  after 
the  execution  of  Charles  I.,  had  taken  refuge  in 
Holland.  The  commerce  of  the  Dutch  Republic 
then  covered  every  sea.  England,  to  punish  the 
Dutch  and  to  revive  her  own  decaying  commerce, 
issued,  by   Parliamentary  vote,  her  famous  "  Act  of 


150  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

Navigation,''  which  was  exultantly  proclaimed  at  the 
old  London  Exchange  "  with  sound  of  trumpet  and 
beat  of  drum." 

This  Act  decreed  that  no  production  of  Asia, 
Africa  or  America  should  be  brought  to  England, 
except  in  English  vessels,  manned  by  English  crews, 
and  that  no  productions  of  Europe  should  be 
brought  to  England,  unless  in  English  vessels,  or  in 
those  of  the  country  in  which  the  imported  cargoes 
were  produced.  These  measures  were  considered 
very  unjust  by  all  the  other  nations,  and  especially 
by  the  Dutch,  then  the  most  commercial  nation  on 
the  globe. 

The  States-General  sent  ambassadors  to  London 
to  remonstrate  against  such  hostile  action  ;  and  at 
the  same  time  orders  were  issued  for  the  equipment 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  ships  of  war.  The  States- 
General  had  not  yet  ratified  Stuyvesant's  treaty  of 
Hartford.  The  ambassadors  were  instructed  to 
urge  that  an  immovable  boundary  line  should  be  es- 
tablished between  the  Dutch  and  English  posses- 
sions in  America. 

The  reply  of  the  English  Government  was  not 
conciliatory.  The  English,  it  was  said,  had  always 
been  forbidden  to  trade  in  the  Dutch  colonies. 
The  Dutch  ought  therefore  to  find  no  fault  with  the 
recent    Navigation    Act,   from    which    measure    the 


WAR  BETWEEN  ENGLAND  AND  HOLLAND,     151 

Council  did  not  "  deem  it  fitting  to  recede."  As  to 
the  colonial  boundary,  the  ungracious  reply  was  re- 
turned, 

u  The  English  were  the  first  settlers  in  North 
America,  from  Virginia  to  Newfoundland.  We 
know  nothing  of  any  Dutch  plantations  there,  ex- 
cepting a  few  settlers  up  the  Hudson.  We  do  not 
think  it  necessary  at  present,  to  settle  the  bounda- 
ries. It  can  be  done  hereafter,  at  any  convenient 
time.'' 

A  naval  war  soon  broke  out.  England,  without 
warning,  seized  the  ships  of  Holland  in  English 
ports,  and  impressed  their  crews.  The  Dutch  war 
fleet  was  entrusted  to  Admiral  Tromp.  He  was 
enjoined  to  protect  the  Dutch  vessels  from  visita- 
tion or  search  by  foreign  cruisers,  and  not  to  strike 
his  flag  to  English  ships  of  war.  The  instructions 
of  the  commanders  of  the  British  men  of  war,  were  to 
compel  the  ships  of  all  foreign  nations  whatever,  to 
strike  their  colors  to  the  British  flag.  England  thus 
set  up  its  arrogant  claim  to  "  its  undoubted  right  to 
the  dominion  of  the  surrounding  seas." 

The  English  fleet,  under  Admiral  Blake,  met 
the  Dutch  fleet  in  the  Strait  of  Dover,  on  the  29th 
of  May,  1632,  and  a  bloody  but  undecisive  battle  en- 
sued. A  series  of  terrible  naval  conflicts  followed, 
with  victory  now  on  the  one  side  and   now  on  the 


I«52  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

other.  At  length  Blake,  discomfited,  was  compel 
led  to  take  refuge  in  the  Thames.  Admiral  Tromp; 
rather  vain- gloriously,  placed  a  broom  at  his  mast- 
head to  indicate  that  he  had  swept  the  channel  of 
all  English  ships. 

In  this  state  of  affairs  the  Directors  wrote  to 
Governor  Stuyvesant,  saying,  "  Though  we  hope 
that  you  have  so  agreed  with  the  colonists  of  New 
England  about  boundaries  that  we  have  nothing 
to  fear  from  them,  still  we  consider  it  an  imperious 
duty  to  recommend  you  to  arm  and  discipline  all 
freemen,  soldiers  and  sailors  ;  to  appoint  officers  and 
places  of  rendezvous  ;  to  supply  them  with  ammuni- 
tion ;  and  to  inspect  the  fortifications  at  New  Am- 
sterdam, fort  Orange  and  fort  Casimir.  To  this  end 
we  send  you  a  fresh  supply  of  ammunition. 

"  If  it  should  happen,  which  we  will  not  suppose, 
that  New  Englanders  incline  to  take  part  in  these 
broils,  then  we  should  advise  your  honor  to  engage 
the  Indians  in  your  cause,  who,  we  are  informed, 
are  not  partial  to  the  English.  You  will  also  em- 
ploy all  such  means  of  defence  as  prudence  may  re- 
quire for  your  security,  taking  care  that  the  mer- 
chants and  inhabitants  convey  their  property  within 
the  forts. 

"  Treat  them  kindly,  so  that  they  may  be  encour- 
aged to  remain  there,  and  to  give  up  the  thought  ol 


WAR  BETWEEN  ENGLAND  AND   HOLLAND,     1 53 

returning  to  Holland,  which  would  depopulate  the 
country.  •  It  is  therefore  advisable  to  inclose  the  vil- 
lages, at  least  the  principal  and  most  opulent,  with 
breastworks  and  palisades  to  prevent  surprise." 

Looking  into  the  future  with  prophetic  eyes, 
which  discerned  the  future  glories  of  the  rising 
republic,  the  Directors  added,  "  When  these  colonies 
once  become  permanently  established,  when  the 
ships  of  New  Netherland  ride  on  every  part  of  the 
ocean,  then  numbers,  now  looking  to  that  coast 
with  eager  eyes,  shall  be  allured  to  embark  for  your 
island." 

This  prophecy  is  now  emphatically  fulfilled  when 
often  one  or  two  thousand  emigrants,  from  the  old 
world,  land  at  the  Battery  in  a  day.  When  the 
prophecy  was  uttered,  New  Amsterdam  was  a  smal 
straggling  village  of  one  story  huts,  containing  about 
seven  hundred  inhabitants.  The  whole  island  of 
Manhattan  belonged  in  fee  to  the  West  India  Com* 
pany.  A  municipal  government  was  soon  organized, 
which  about  the  year  1653,  gave  birth  to  the  city  of 
New  Amsterdam. 

Holland  and  England  were,  now  in  open  and 
deadly  warfare.  It  will  hardly  be  denied  by  any 
one,  that  England  was  responsible  for  the  conflict. 
The  New  England  colonies  wished  to  avail  them- 
selves of  the  opportunity  to  wrest  New  Netherland 

7* 


154  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

from  the  Dutch,  and  to  extend  their  sway  from 
Stamford  to  the  Chesapeake.  Governor  Stuyvesant 
perceived  his  danger.  He  could  be  easily  over- 
powered by  the  New  England  colonies.  He  wrote 
very  friendly  letters  to  the  governors,  urging  that, 
notwithstanding  the  hostilities  between  the  mother- 
countries,  commercial  intercourse  between  the  colo- 
nies should  continue  on  its  former  peaceful  footing. 
At  the  same  time  he  adopted  very  vigorous  meas- 
ures to  be  prepared  for  defence  should  he  be 
assailed. 

Rumors  reached  New  Amsterdam  of  active  mili- 
tary preparations  in  progress  in  New  England.  It 
was  manifest  that  some  hostile  expedition  was  con- 
templated. Fort  Amsterdam  was  repaired.  The 
city  was  enclosed  by  a  ditch  and  palisade,  with  a 
breastwork  extending  from  the  East  river  to  the 
North  river.  The  whole  body  of  citizens  mounted 
guard  every  night.  A  frigate  in  the  harbor  was 
ready  at  any  moment  to  spread  its  sails,  and  its 
"  guns  were  kept  loaded  day  and  night. ''  The  citi- 
zens without  exception,  were  ordered  to  work  upon 
the  defences,  under  penalty  of  fine,  loss  of  citizen- 
ship and  banishment. 

Thus  barbaric  war  came  again  to  mar  all  the 
prosperity  of  the  colony,  and  to  undermine  all  its 
foundations  of  growth  and  happiness.     The  Mohican 


WAR  BETWEEN   ENGLAND   AND   HOLLAND.     1 55 

Indians,  on  the  east  side  of  the  North  river,  and 
vhose  territory  extended  to  the  Connecticut,  were 
allies  of  the  English.  Uncas,  the  chief  of  this 
tribe,  declared  that  Governor  Stuyvesant  was  plot- 
ting to  arm  the  Narragansetts  against  New  Eng- 
land. At  the  same  time  nine  chiefs  from  the  vicini- 
ty of  Manhattan,  sent  a  messenger  to  Stamford, 
who  said : 

"  The  Dutch  governor  has  earnestly  solicited  the 
Indians  in  these  parts,  to  kill  all  the  English.  But 
we  have  all  refused  to  be  hired  by  him,  for  the  Eng- 
lish have  done  us  no  harm." 

The  New  England  colonists  were  by  no  means 
satisfied  that  these  charges  were  true.  Veracity 
was  not  an  Indian  virtue.  Cunning  was  a  prominent 
trait  in  their  character.  An  extraordinary  meeting 
of  commissioners  was  held  in  Boston,  in  April,  1653. 
Two  messengers  had  been  previously  sent  by  the 
Massachusetts  council,  to  interrogate  three  of  the 
principal  Narragansett  chiefs,  respecting  the  conduct 
of  Governor  Stuyvesant.  They  reported  at  the 
meeting,  that  the  Narragansett  chiefs  utterly  denied 
that  Governor  Stuyvesant  had  ever  approached 
them  with  any  such  proposition.  One  of  them, 
Ninigret,  said  : 

"  It  was  winter  when  I  visited  the  Dutch  gov- 
ernor.    I  stood    the  great   part  of  a  winter's  day, 


i$6  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

knocking  at  his  door.  He  would  neither  open  it 
nor  suffer  others  to  open  it,  to  let  me  in.  I  found 
no  proposal  to  stir  me  up  against  the  English,  my 
friends.  ' 

Mixam,  another  of  these  chiefs,  replied,  "I  do 
not  know  of  any  plot  that  is  intended  by  the  Dutch 
governor  against  the  English,  my  friends." 

The  third  of  the  chiefs,  who  was  conferred  with, 
Pessacus,  was  still  more  emphatic  in  his  denial. 
"  Though  I  am  far  away,"  he  said,  "  from  the 
governor  of  the  Dutch,  I  am  not  willing  for  the  sake 
of  pleasing  the  English,  to  invent  any  falsehood 
against  him." 

The  result  of  these  investigations  led  some  to 
suppose  that  individuals  among  the  English  had 
originated  these  rumors,  and  had  bribed  some  of  the 
Indian  chiefs  to  false  charges  that  they  might  insti- 
gate the  governors  to  send  out  an  expedition  for 
the  capture  of  New  Netherland. 

Still  the  Council  was  unsatisfied,  and  retained  its 
suspicions.  Governor  Stuyvesant,  hearing  of  the 
charges  against  him,  wrote  at  once  to  the  governors 
of  Massachusetts  and  New  Haven,  unequivocally  de- 
nying the  plot,  and  offering  to  come  himself  to  Bos- 
ton "  to  consider  and  examine  what  may  be  charged, 
and  his  answers."  Should  the  Council  prefer,  he 
would  send  a  delegate  to  Boston,  or  they  might  send 


WAR  BETWEEN  ENGLAND  AND  HOLLAND.     1 57 

delegates  to  Manhattan  to  investigate  the  whole  af- 
fair. 

The  Council  decided  to  send  three  commission- 
ers, men  of  note,  to  Manhattan.  At  the  same  time 
an  army  of  five  hundred  men  was  ordered  to  be  or- 
ganized "  for  the  first  expedition,"  should  "  God  call 
the  colonies  to  make  war  against  the  Dutch." 

The  New  England  agents  were  hospitably  re- 
ceived at  New  Amsterdam.  They  urged  that  the 
meeting  should  be  held  in  one  of  the  New  England 
colonies,  where  Stuyvesant  "  should  produce  evi- 
dence to  clear  himself  from  the  charges  against 
him."  He  was  to  be  regarded  as  guilty  until  he 
proved  himself  innocent. 

The  Puritan  agents  appear  to  great  disadvantage 
in  the  conference  which  ensued.  "  They  seem  to 
have  visited  the  Dutch,"  writes  Mr.  Brodhead,  "  as 
inquisitors,  to  collect  evidence  criminating  the 
Dutch  and  to  collect  no  other  evidence.  And,  with 
peculiar  assurance,  they  saw  no  impropriety  in  re- 
quiring the  authorities  of  New  Netherland,  in  their 
own  capital,  to  suspend  their  established  rules  of 
law  in  favor  of  those  of  New  England." 

Governor  Stuyvesant  repressed  every  expression 
of  impatience,  and  urged  the  most  friendly  over- 
tures. It  may  be  said  that  it  was  manifestly  for  hia 
interest  to  do  so,  for  the   Dutch  colonies  were  quite 


158  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

powerless  compared  with  the  united  colonies  of  New 
England.  The  New  England  agents  ungraciously 
repelled  his  advances,  and  at  length  abruptly  ter- 
minated the  conference  without  giving  the  governor 
an  opportunity  to  prove  his  innocence.  At  nine 
o'clock  in  the  evening  they  suddenly  took  leave  of 
New  Amsterdam,  declining  the  most  friendly  invita- 
tions to  remain,  and  "  cloaking  their  sudden  depart- 
ure under  pretence  of  the  day  of  election  to  be  held 
this  week  at  Boston."  They  left  behind  them  the 
following  menace  : 

"  The  Commissioners  conclude  their  negotiation 
by  declaring  that  if  you  shall  offer  any  injury  to 
any  of  the  English  in  these  parts,  whether  by  your- 
selves or  by  the  Indians,  either  upon  the  national 
quarrel,  or  by  reason  of  any  differences  depending 
between  the  United  English  Colonies  and  your- 
selves, that,  as  the  Commissioners  will  do  no  wrong, 
so  they  may  not  suffer  their  countrymen  to  be  op- 
pressed upon  any  such  account. '' 

The  morning  after  this  unfriendly  retirement  of 
the  agents,  Governor  Stuyvesant  dispatched  a  mes- 
senger to  Boston,  with  a  letter  containing  a  very  full 
reply  to  the  grievances  of  which  the  New  England 
colonists  complained.  In  this  letter,  which  bears 
the  impress  of  frankness  and  honesty,  he  says, 

"  What  your  worships  lay  unto  our  charge  arc 


WAR   BETWEEN   ENGLAND   AND   HOLLAND.     1 59 

false  reports  and  feigned  informations.  Your  hon- 
ored messengers  might,  if  they  had  pleased,  have 
informed  themselves  of  the  truth  of  this,  and  might 
also  have  obtained  more  friendly  satisfaction  and 
security,  concerning  our  real  intentions,  if  they  had 
pleased  to  stay  a  day  or  two  with  us,  to  have  heard 
and  considered  further  of  these  articles." 

On  their  way  home,  the  New  England  agents 
stopped  at  Flushing,  Stamford  and  New  Haven,  to 
collect  all  the  evidence  they  could  against  Governor 
Stuyvesant.  The  hearsay  stories  of  the  Indians 
they  carefully  picked  up.  Still  the  only  point  ascer- 
tained, of  any  moment  was,  that  Governor  Stuyve- 
sant had  told  an  Englishman,  one  Robert  Coe,  that  if 
the  English  attacked  him,  he  should  try  to  get  the  In- 
dians to  come  to  his  aid  ;  and  that  he  had  said  the 
same  to  William  Alford. 

This  was  all  the  evidence  the  agents  could  find 
against  the  governor.  He  had  made  these  declara- 
tions without  any  purpose  of  concealment.  He  had 
been  instructed  to  pursue  this  course  by  the  Am- 
sterdam Directors.  The  New  England  colonists 
had  in  their  Pequod  war,  set  the  example  of  employ- 
ing Indian  allies.  This  repulsive  feature  in  the  Brit- 
ish colonial  administration  continued  until  the  close 
of  the  war  of  the  Revolution. 

Captair  John  Underhill,an  Englishman,  who  had 


IOO  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

obtained  considerable  renown  in  the  Pequod  wat 
becoming  dissatisfied  with  some  ecclesiastical  cen- 
sure which  he  had  incurred,  petitioned  Governor 
Stuyvesant  for  permission  to  reside,  with  a  few  other 
families  in  New  Netherland,  under  the  protection 
of  the  Dutch,  offering  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance 
which  was  required  of  all  foreigners.  His  request 
was  promptly  granted.  It  was  the  liberal  policy  of 
the  Dutch  government  not  to  exclude  foreigners 
from  any  privileges  which  the  Hollanders  themselves 
enjoyed.  Underbill  was  now  residing  at  Hempstead, 
Long  Island.  His  restless  spirit,  ever  eager  for 
change,  seized  upon  the  present  moment  as  a  fitting 
opportunity  to  wrest  from  the  Dutch  their  portion 
of  Long  Island,  and  pass  it  over  to  his  countrymen. 
In  violation  of  his  oath  he  issued  a  treasonable  proc- 
lamation, in  which  he  said, 

"You  are  called  upon  to  abjure  the  iniquitous 
government  of  Peter  Stuyvesant  over  the  inhabi- 
tants residing  on  Long  Island.  His  rule  is  too 
grievous  for  any  brave  Englishman  and  good  chris- 
tian to  tolerate  any  longer.  All  honest  hearts  that 
seek  the  glory  of  God  and  his  peace  and  prosperity, 
are  exhorted  to  throw  off  this  tyrannical  yoke.  Ac- 
cept and  submit  ye  then  to  the  Parliament  of  Eng- 
land ;    and    beware    of    becoming    traitors    to    one 


WAR   BETWEEN   ENGLAND   AND   HOLLAND.     l6l 

another  for  the  sake  of  your  own  quiet  and  wel- 
fare." 

This  proclamation  did  not  meet  with  a  cordial 
response.  Underhill  fled  to  Rhode  Island.  Here 
he  received  from  Boston  a  commission,  "  to  take  all 
Dutch  ships  and  vessels  as  shall  come  into  his  pow- 
er, and  to  defend  himself  from  the  Dutch  and  all 
enemies  of  the  commonwealth  of  England/' 

The  report  of  the  agents  who  had  visited  Man- 
hattan was  such  that  the  General  Court  at  Boston 
voted  that  they  were  not  "  called  upon  to  make  a 
present  war  with  the  Dutch." 

There  were  eight  commissioners  from  the  New 
England  colonies  in  Boston.  Notwithstanding  this 
decision  of  the  General  Court,  six  of  them  were  in 
favor  of  instant  war.  They  sent  back  to  Governor 
Stuyvesant  an  abusive  and  defiant  reply,  in  which 
they  said, 

"  Your  confident  denials  of  the  barbarous  plot 
with  which  you  are  charged  will  weigh  little  in  the 
balance  against  the  evidence,  so  that  we  must  still 
require  and  seek  due  satisfaction  and  security." 

The  Connecticut  colonists  were  ever  looking 
with  a  wistful  eye  to  the  rich  lands  west  of  them. 
The  Court  at  New  Haven  and  that  at  Hartford  sent 
messengers  to  Massachusetts  to  urge  that  '  by  war 
if  no    other  means    will    serve,  the    Dutch,  at    and 


l62  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

about  the  Manhattoes,  who  have  been  and  still  are 
like  to  prove  injurious,  may  be  removed.''  The 
General  Court  nobly  replied,  "  We  cannot  act  in  so 
weighty  a  concernment,  as  to  send  forth  men  to 
shed  blood,  unless  satisfied  that  God  calls  for  it. 
And  then  it  must  be  clear  and  not  doubtful.'' 

"  In  speaking  of  these  events  Mr.  Brodhead  says, 
u  At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Commissioners,  Mas- 
sachusetts maintained  her  proud  position  with  a 
firmness  which  almost  perilled  the  stability  of  the 
confederation.  A  bitter  altercation,  between  the 
representatives  of  the  other  colonies  and  the  Gener- 
al Court,  was  terminated  by  an  ambiguous  conces- 
sion which  nevertheless  averted  hostilities. 

"  The  Connecticut  governments  seemed  animated 
by  the  most  vindictive  feelings;  and  their  own  recent 
historian  laments  the  refusal  of  the  Massachusetts 
authorities  to  bear  part  in  an  offensive  war  against 
New  Netherland,  as  an  '  indelible  stain  upon  their 
honor  as  men,  and  upon  their  morals  as  christians.' " 

There  was  a  strong  party  in  favor  of  war  as  the 
only  means  of  wresting  the  magnificent  domain  of 
New  Netherland  from  the  Dutch  and  annexing  it  to 
the  New  England  possessions.  The  majestic  Hud 
son  was  greatly  coveted,  as  it  opened  to  commerce 
vast  and  unknown  regions  of  the  interior. 

Hartford  and  New  Haven  discussed  the  question 


WAR  BETWEEN  ENGLAND  AND   HOLLAND.     I&J 

if  they  were  not  strong  enough  without  the  aid  of 
Massachusetts  to  subdue  the  Dutch.  Stamford  and 
Fairfield  commenced  raising  volunteers  on  their  own 
account,  and  appointed  one  Ludlow  as  their  leader. 
A  petition  was  sent  to  the  home  government,  the 
Commonwealth  over  which  Oliver  Cromwell  was 
then  presiding,  praying  "  that  the  Dutch  be  either 
removed  or,  so  far,  at  least,  subjected  that  the  colo- 
nies may  be  free  from  injurious  affronts  and  secured 
against  the  dangers  and  mischievous  effects  which 
daily  grow  upon  them  by  their  plotting  with  the 
Indians  and  furnishing  them  with  arms  against  the 
English." 

In  conclusion  they  entreated  that  two  or  three 
frigates  be  sent  out,  and  that  Massachusetts  be  com- 
manded to  assist  the  other  colonies  tc  clear  the 
coast  "  of  a  nation  with  which  the  English  cannot 
either  mingle  or  set  under  their  government,  nor  so 
much  as  live  near  without  danger  of  their  lives  and 
all  their  comforts  in  this  world." 

To  fan  this  rising  flame  of  animosity  against  the 
Dutch,  a  rancorous  pamphlet  was  published  in  Lon- 
don, entitled,  "The  second  part  of  the  Amboyna 
Tragedy  ;  or  a  faithful  account  of  a  bloody,  treacher- 
ous and  cruel  plot  of  the  Dutch  in  America,  purport- 
ing the  total  ruin  and  murder  of  all  the  English 
colonists    in    New    England ;    extracted    from   the 


164.  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

various  letters  lately  written  from  New  England  to 
different  merchants  in  London." 

This  was  indeed  an  inflammatory  pamphlet.  The 
most  violent  language  was  used.  The  Dutch  were 
accused  of  the  "  devilish  project''  of  trying  to  rouse 
the  savages  to  a  simultaneous  assault  upon  all  the 
New  England  colonists.  The  crime  was  to  be  per- 
petrated on  Sunday  morning,  when  they  should  be 
collected  in  their  houses  of  worship.  Men,  women 
and  children  were  to  be  massacred,  and  the  buildings 
laid  in  ashes. 

The  Amsterdam  Directors  had  this  "  most  infa- 
mous and  lying  libel,"  translated  into  their  own  lan- 
guage and  sent  a  copy  to  Governor  Stuyvesant  and 
his  council,  saying: 

0  We  wish  that  your  honors  may  see  what  strata- 
gems that  nation  employs,  not  only  to  irritate  the 
populace,  but  the  whole  world  if  possible  and  to  stir 
it  up  against  us." 

The  position  of  Governor  Stuyvesant  had  become 
exceedingly  uncomfortable.  He  was  liable  at  any 
day  to  have  from  abroad  war's  most  terrible  storm 
burst  upon  him.  And  the  enemy  might  come  in 
such  force  that  he  would  be  utterly  unable  to  make 
any  effectual  resistance.  On  the  other  hand  the 
Dutch  settlements  were  composed  of  emigrants  from 
all  lands.     Many  Englishmen,  dissatisfied  with  the 


WAR  BETWEEN   ENGLAND  AND   HOLLAND.     16$ 

rigid  rule  of  the  New  England  colonies,  had  taken 
their  residence  in  New  Netherland. 

The  arbitrary  rule  of  Stuyvesant  was  obnoxious 
to  the  majority  of  his  subjects,  and  they  were  in- 
creasingly clamorous  for  a  more  liberal  and  popular 
government.  On  the  16th  of  December,  1630,  a 
very  important  popular  convention  was  held  at  New 
Amsterdam,  composed  of  delegates  from  eight 
towns.  There  were  nineteen  delegates,  ten  of  whom 
were  Dutch  and  nine  English.  Unanimously  they 
avowed  fealty  to  the  government  of  Holland.  But 
they  remonstrated  against  the  establishment  of  an 
arbitrary  government ;  and  complained  that  laws 
had  been  enacted  without  the  consent  of  the  people. 

"  This,"  said  they,  "  is  contrary  to  the  granted 
privilege  of  the  Netherland  government  and  odious 
to  every  free-born  man ;  and  especially  so  to  those 
whom  God  has  placed  in  a  free  state  in  newly-settled 
lands,  who  are  entitled  to  claim  laws  not  transcend- 
ing, but  resembling  as  near  as  possible  those  of  the 
Netherlands." 

There  were  several  minor  offences  enumerated 
to  which  we  need  not  here  refer.  The  memorial  was 
drawn  up  by  an  Englishman,  George  Baxter.  The 
imperious  Stuyvesant  was  greatly  annoyed  by  this 
document.  To  weaken  its  effect,  he  declared  that 
the  delegates  had  no  authority  to  act  or  even  to 


1 66  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

meet  upon  such  questions.  He  endeavored  to  rouse 
national  prejudice  against  the  document  by  saying 
"  The  most  ancient  colony  of  Manhattan,  the 
colonies  of  Rensselaerswyck  and  Staten  Island  and 
the  settlements  at  Beaverswyck  and  on  the  South 
river  are  too  prudent  to  subscribe  to  all  that  has 
been  projected  by  an  Englishman ;  as  if  among  the 
Netherlands'  nation  there  is  no  one  sagacious  and 
expert  enough  to  draw  up  a  remonstrance  to  the 
Director  and  counc^  " 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
Another  Indian  War, 

Conflict  Between  the  Governor  and  the  Citizens. — Energy  of  the 
Governor. — His  Measures  of  Defence. — Action  of  the  English 
Colonies. — Claims  of  the  Government  of  Sweden. — Fort  Casi- 
mir  captured  by  the  Swedes. — Retaliation. — Measures  for  the 
recapture  of  Fort  Casimir. — Shooting  a  Squaw. — Its  Consequen- 
ces.— The  Ransom  of  Prisoners. — Complaints  of  the  Swedish 
Governor. — Expedition  from  Sweden. — Its   Fate. 

There  was  a  brief  but  bitter  controversy  between 
the  governor  and  the  convention,  when  the  govern- 
or ordered  the  body  to  disperse,  "  on  pain  of  our 
highest  displeasure."  "  We  derive  our  authority,' 
said  he,  "  from  God,  and  from  the  Company,  not 
from  a  few  ignorant  subjects.  And  we  alone  can 
call  the  inhabitants  together."  These  decisive 
measures  did  not  stifle  the  popular  voice.  Petitions 
were  sent  to  the  Company  in  Holland,  full  of  com- 
plaints against  the  administration  of  Stuyvesant, 
and  imploring  its  intervention  to  secure  the  redress 
of  the  grievances  which  were  enumerated. 

An  able  man,  Francois  le  Bleuw,was  sent  to  Hol- 
land with  these  documents,  with  instructions  to  do 


1 68  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

everything  in  his  power  to  procure  the  reforms  they 
urged.  Though  the  citizens  of  New  Amsterdam 
had,  for  a  year,  enjoyed  a  limited  municipal  govern- 
ment, they  were  by  no  means  satisfied  with  what 
they  had  thus  far  attained.  What  they  claimed,  and 
reasonably  claimed,  were  the  larger  franchises  enjoy- 
ed by  the  cities  in  the  fatherland. 

The  condition  of  New  Netherland,  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  year  1654,  was  very  precarious. 
The  troubled  times,  as  is  ever  the  case,  had  called 
out  swarms  of  pirates  and  robbers,  who  infested  the 
shores  of  Long  Island,  inflicting  the  most  cruel  ex- 
cesses upon  the  unprotected  inhabitants.  The 
English  residents  in  the  Dutch  colonies  were  numei 
ous,  and  they  were  ripe  for  revolt.  The  Dutch 
themselves  were  uttering  loud  murmurs.  The  gov- 
ernor acted  with  his  accustomed  energy.  Several 
vessels  were  fitted  out  to  act  against  the  pirates. 
Many  of  these  pirates  professed  to  be  privateersmen, 
serving  the  Commonwealth  of  England.  It  was 
suspected  that  the  English  residents  were  commu- 
nicating with  the  freebooters,  who  were  chiefly  their 
own  countrymen. 

A  proclamation  was  issued  prohibiting  all  per- 
sons, under  penalty  of  banishment  and  the  confisca- 
tion of  goods,  from  harboring  the  outlaws.  Every 
third    man    was  detailed    to    act  as  a  minute  man 


ANOTHER   INDIAN  WAR.  iCg 

whenever  required  ;  and  the  whole  population  was 
pledged  for  the  public  defence.  At  the  same  time, 
to  prevent  any  misunderstanding,  messengers  were 
sent  to  Connecticut  to  inform  the  colonial  authori- 
ties there,  that  these  measures  were  adopted  solely 
for  the  protection  of  their  commerce  and  the  pun- 
ishment of  robbery. 

In  February  of  this  year,  a  church  was  organized 
at  Flatbush.  Domine  Polhemus  was  chosen  pastor, 
with  a  salary  of  six  hundred  guilders.  A  cruciform 
wooden  church  was  erected,  sixty  feet  long  and 
twenty-eight  feet  wide.  This  was  the  first  Reform- 
er Dutch  Church  on  Long  Island.  The  Lutherans 
had  now  become  quite  numerous  in  New  Amster- 
dam. They  petitioned  for  liberty  to  organize  a 
church.  Stuyvesant,  a  zealous  Calvinist,  declined, 
saying  that  he  was  bound  by  his  oath  to  tolerate  no 
other  religion  openly  than  the  Reformed.  In  this 
intolerance  he  was  sustained  by  the  Company  in 
Holland. 

Oliver  Cromwell  now  decided  to  carry  the  war 
against  Holland  into  the  New  World.  He  sent 
word  to  the  governors  of  the  New  England  Colo- 
nists that  he  was  about  to  dispatch  war  ships  to  the 
coasts  of  America,  and  he  called  upon  them  to  give 
their  utmost  assistance  for  gaining  the  Manhattoes 
%nd  other  places  under  the  power  of  the  Dutch.' 


IJO  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

Four  armed  ships  were  soon  crossing  the  Atlan- 
tic. The  expedition  was  entrusted  to  Major  Sedg- 
wick and  John  Leverett.  They  were  directed  to 
enter  some  good  port  in  New  England,  where  they 
were  to  ascertain  whether  the  colonial  governments 
would  join  in  vindicating  the  English  right  and  in 
extirpating  the  Dutch. 

"  Being  come  to  the  Manhattoes,"  wrote  secre- 
tary Thurlow,  "  you  shall,  by  surprise,  open  force,  or 
otherwise,  endeavor  to  take  the  place.  You  have 
power  to  give  fair  quarter  in  case  it  be  rendered 
upon  summons  without  opposition.  If  the  Lord 
give  his  blessing,  you  shall  not  use  cruelty  to  the 
inhabitants,  but  encourage  those  who  are  willing  to 
remain  under  the  English  government,  and  give 
liberty  to  others  to  transport  themselves  to  Eu- 
rope." 

Governor  Stuyvesant  received  early  intelligence 
of  the  projected  expedition,  and  immediately  con- 
vened his  council.  The  danger  was  imminent.  The 
Dutch  alone  could  oppose  but  feeble  resistance. 
The  English  in  the  Dutch  colony,  though  they  had 
sworn  allegiance,  would  probably  join  their  country- 
men. "  To  invite  them,"  Governor  Stuyvesant  said, 
"to  aid  us,  would  be  bringing  the  Trojan  horse 
within  our  walls."  After  much  anxious  deliberation, 
it  was  decided   to  enlist  a  force  of  seventy  men, 


ANOTHER    INDIAN   WAR.  171 

"  silently  and  without  beat  of  drum,"  and  to  lay  in 
supplies  to  stand  a  siege. 

The  danger  roused  the  spirit  of  patriotism.  The 
Dutch  rallied  with  great  unanimity  and,  spade  in 
hand,  worked  heartily  on  the  fortifications.  They 
were  all  conscious,  however,  that  treason  lurked 
within  their  walls. 

Several  of  the  New  En-gland  colonies  responded 
quite  eagerly  to  the  appeal  of  Cromwell.  New 
Haven  pledged  herself  to  the  most  zealous  efforts 
Connecticut  promised  two  hundred  men,  and  even 
five  hundred  rather  than  that  the  enterprise  should 
fail.  Plymouth  ordered  fifty  men  into  the  service, 
entrusting  the  command  to  Captain  Miles  Standish 
and  Captain  Thomas  Willett.  It  is  worthy  of  notice 
that  the  Plymouth  people  made  an  apology  for  this 
action,  saying: 

"  We  concur  in  hostile  measures  against  our 
ancient  Dutch  neighbors  only  in  reference  unto  the 
national  quarrel." 

Massachusetts  gave  a  reluctant  consent  that  five 
hundred  volunteers  against  the  Dutch  should  be 
raised  within  their  jurisdiction. 

Just  as  the  fleet  was  about  to  sail  from  Boston 
on  this  expedition,  the  result  of  which  could  not  be 
doubtful,  a  ship  entered  the  port  with  the  announce- 
ment that  peace  had  been  concluded  between  Eng- 


172  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

land  and  Holland.  This  of  course  put  a  stop  to  any 
farther  hostile  action.  The  welcome  news  was  soon 
conveyed  to  Governor  Stuyvesant.  He  was  quite 
overjoyed  in  its  reception.  The  glad  tidings  were 
published  from  the  City  Hall,  with  ringing  of  bell 
and  all  other  public  demonstrations  of  satisfaction. 

The  1 2th  of  August  was  appointed  as  a  day  of 
general  thanksgiving  to  God  for  his  great  goodness. 
In  his  proclamation,  the  Governor  devoutly  ex- 
claimed: 

u  Praise  the  Lord,  O  England's  Jerusalem  and 
Netherland's  zion,  praise  ye  the  Lord!  He  hath 
secured  your  gates  and  blessed  your  possessions 
with  peace,  even  here  where  the  threatened  torch  of 
war  was  lighted,  where  the  waves  reached  our  lips 
and  subsided  only  through  the  power  of  the  Al- 
mighty." 

From  this  moral  conflict,  which  came  so  near 
being  a  physical  one,  Stuyvesant  emerged  very 
victorious.  The  Company  had  ever  been  disposed 
to  sympathize  with  him  in  his  measures.  The  dele- 
gate Le  Bleuw,  who  had  carried  charges  against  him 
to  Holland,  was  almost  rudely  repulsed,  and  was 
forbidden  to  return  to  New  Netherland.  The 
Directors  of  the  Company  wrote  to  the  Governor: 

"We  are  unable  to  discover  in  the  whole  remon- 
strance one  single  point  to  justify  complaint.     You 


ANOTHER  INDIAN  WAR.  173 

ought  to  have  acted  with  more  vigor  against  the 
ringleaders  of  the  gang,  and  not  to  have  conde- 
scended to  answer  protests  with  protests.  It  is 
therefore  our  express  command  that  you  punish 
what  has  occurred  as  it  deserves,  so  that  others  may 
be  deterred  in  future,  from  following  such  exam- 
ples." 

To  the  citizens  they  wrote,  "  We  enjoin  it  upon 
you  that  you  conduct  yourselves  quietly  and  peace- 
ably, submit  yourselves  to  the  government  placed 
over  you,  and  in  no  wise  allow  yourselves  to  hold 
particular  convention  with  the  English  or  others,  in 
matters  of  form  or  deliberation  on  affairs  of  state, 
which  do  not  appertain  to  you,  or  attempt  any  al- 
teration in  the  state  and  its  government." 

A  ferry  was  established  to  convey  passengers 
from  one  side  of  the  river  to  the  other.  The  li- 
censed ferryman  was  bound  to  keep  suitable  boats 
and  also  a  lodge  on  each  side  of  the  river  to  protect 
passengers  from  the  weather.  The  toll  established  by 
law,  was  for  a  wagon  and  two  horses  one  dollar ;  for 
a  wagon  and  one  horse  eighty  cents  ;  a  savage,  male 
or  female,  thirty  cents  ;  each  other  person  fifteen 
cents. 

When  Stuyvesant  was  preparing  to  defend  New 
Netherland  from  the  English,  he  encountered 
another  great  annoyance.     It    will  be  remembered 


174  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

that  the  Swedish  government  claimed  the  territory 
on  the  South,  or  Delaware  river,  upon  which  the 
Dutch  governor  had  erected  Fort  Casimir.  Gerrit 
Bikker  was  in  command  of  the  fort,  with  a  garrison 
of  twelve  men.  On  the  morning  of  the  first  of  June, 
1654,  a  strange  sail  was  seen  in  the  offing.  A  small 
party  was  sent  out  in  a  boat,  to  reconnoitre.  They 
returned  with  the  tidings  that  it  was  a  Swedish  ship 
full  of  people,  with  a  new  governor  ;  and  that  they 
had  come  to  take  possession  of  the  place,  affirming 
that  the  fort  was  on  land  belonging  to  the  Swedish 
government. 

Bikker  with  his  small  garrison,  and  almost  desti- 
tute of  ammunition,  could  make  no  resistance. 
Twenty  or  thirty  soldiers  landed  from  the  Swedish 
ship,  entered  the  open  gate  of  the  fort  and  took 
possession  of  the  place.  John  Rising  the  com- 
mander of  the  ship,  stated  that  he  was  obeying  the 
orders  of  his  government ;  that  the  territory  belong- 
ed to  Sweden,  and  that  neither  the  States-Gen- 
eral of  the  Netherlands  nor  the  West  India  Com- 
pany had  authorized  Governor  Stuyvesant  to  erect 
a  fort  upon  that  spot. 

The  garrison  was  disarmed,  two  shotted  guns 
were  fired  over  the  works  in  token  of  their  capture, 
and  the  name  of  the  fort  was  changed  to  Trinity,  ag 
it  was  on  Trinity  Sunday  that  the  fort  was  taken 


ANOTHER  INDIAN  WAR.  175 

A  skilful  engineer  immediately  employed  many 
hands  in  strengthening  the  ramparts.  The  region 
was  called  New  Sweden,  and  John  Rising  assumed 
his  office  as  governor.  Courteously  he  sent  word 
to  Governor  Stuyvesant  of  his  arrival  and  of  his  cap- 
ture of  the  forts.  He  also  summoned  the  chiefs  of 
the  neighboring  tribes  and  entered  into  a  treaty  of 
friendship  with  them.  Within  a  month  he  announc- 
ed to  the  home  government  that  the  population  of 
New  Sweden  had  risen  to  three  hundred  and  sixty- 
eight.  u  I  hope,"  he  added,  "  we  may  be  able  to 
preserve  them  in  order  and  in  duty,  and  to  constrain 
them  if  necessary.  I  will  do  in  this  respect,  all  that 
depends  upon  me.  We  will  also  endeavor  to  shut 
up  the  river." 

Governor  Stuyvesant  was  very  indignant,  in  view 
of  what  he  deemed  the  pusillanimous  conduct  of 
Bikker  in  "this  dishonorable  surrender  of  the  fort.', 
It  was  in  vain  for  him  to  attempt  its  recovery.  But 
with  an  eagle  eye  and  an  agitated  mind  he  watched 
for  an  opportunity  to  retaliate. 

About  the  middle  of  September,  a  Swedish  ship, 
the  Golden  Shark,  bound  for  the  Delaware  river,  un- 
der command  of  Captain  Elswyrk,  entered  Sandy 
Hook  and  anchored  behind  Staten  Island.  The 
captain  had  made  a  mistake  and  supposed  that  he 
had  entered  the  mouth  of  South  river.     Discovering 


I76  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

his  error,  he  sent  a  boat  up  to  Manhattan  for  a  pi 
lot. 

Stuyvesant's  long-looked-for  hour  had  come. 
lie  arrested  the  boat's  crew,  and  sent  them  all  to 
the  guard-house.  He  also  seized  the  Shark  and 
transferred  her  cargo  to  the  Company's  magazine  on 
shore.  He  then  sent  a  courteous  message  to  Gov« 
ernor  Rising,  at  New  Sweden,  inviting  him  to  visit 
New  Amsterdam,  "  to  arrange  and  settle  some  un- 
expected differences. "  He  promised  him  a  hospita- 
ble reception,  but  declared  that  he  should  detain  the 
Swedish  ship  and  cargo,  "  until  a  reciprocal  restitu- 
tion shall  have  been  made/'  Governor  Rising  declin 
ed  the  invitation,  not  deeming  it  judicious  to  place 
himself  so  effectually  in  the  power  of  his  impetuous 
antagonist. 

Upon  the  capture  of  fort  Casimir,  Governor  Stuy- 
vesant  had  immediately  sent  word  of  the  occurrence 
to  the  Amsterdam  Directors.  In  November  he 
received  their  reply.     It  was,  in  brief, as  follows: 

"We  hardly  know  whether  we  are  more  aston- 
ished at  the  audacious  enterprise  of  the  Swedes  in 
taking  our  fort  on  the  South  river,  or  at  the  cowardly 
surrender  of  it  by  our  commander,  which  is  nearly 
insufferable.  He  has  acted  very  unfaithfully,  yea 
treacherously.  We  entreat  you  to  exert  every  nerve 
to  avenge  that  injury,  not  only  by  restoring  affai'13 


ANOTHER   INDIAN  WAR.  177 

to  their  former  situation,  but  by  driving  the  Swedes 
from  every  side  of  the  river.  We  have  put  in  com- 
mission two  armed  ships,  the  King  Solomon  and  the 
Great  Christopher.  The  drum  is  beaten  daily  in  the 
streets  of  Amsterdam  for  volunteers.  And  orders 
are  given  for  the  instant  arrest  of  Bikker. 

Stuyvesant  adopted  vigorous  measures  to  co- 
operate with  the  little  fleet  upon  its  arrival,  in  its 
warfare  against  New  Sweden.  The  25th  of  August, 
1655,  was  set  apart  as  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer, 
"  to  implore  the  only  bountiful  God,  that  it  may 
please  him  to  bless  the  projected  enterprise,  under- 
taken only  for  the  greater  security,  extension  and 
consolidation  of  this  province,  and  to  render  it  pros- 
perous and  successful  to  the  glory  of  his  name." 

Enlistments  were  pushed  with  great  energy. 
Three  North  river  vessels  were  chartered,  pilots  were 
engaged  and  provisions  and  ammunition  laid  in 
store.  A  French  privateer,  L'Esperance,  which 
chanced  to  enter  the  harbor  of  New  Amsterdam  at 
this  time,  was  also  engaged  for  the  service. 

It  seems  hardly  consistent  with  the  religious 
character  of  Stuyvesant  and  with  his  prayers  for  the 
divine  blessing,  that  the  Lord's  day  should  have  been 
chosen  for  the  sailing  of  the  expedition.  But  on 
the  first  Sunday  in  September,  after  the  morning 
sermon,  the  sails  of  the  little  squadron  of  seven 
8* 


178  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

vessels  were  unfurled  and  the  fleet  put  to  sea,  con- 
taining a  military  force  of  about  seven  hundred  men. 
Governor  Stuyvesant  in  person,  commanded  the 
expedition.  He  was  accompanied  by  the  Vice-Gov- 
ernor,  De  Lille,  and  by  Domine  Megapolensis,  as 
chaplain. 

On  Friday  morning  they  entered  the  Delaware 
river,  and  with  favoring  wind  and  tide,  sailed  up 
beyond  fort  Casimir,  and  landed  their  forces  about  a 
mile  above.  A  flag  of  truce  was  promptly  sent  to 
the  fort,  demanding  "  the  direct  restitution  of  our 
own  property.*'  Some  parleying  occupied  the  time 
during  the  day,  while  Stuyvesant  was  landing  his 
batteries.  The  next  morning  the  Swedish  com- 
mander, convinced  of  the  folly  of  any  further 
attempt  at  resistance,  went  on  board  the  Balance 
and  signed  a  capitulation.  The  victor  was  generous 
in  his  terms.  The  Swedes  were  allowed  to  remove 
their  artillery;  twelve  men  were  to  march  out  with 
full  arms  and  accoutrements;  all  the  rest  retained 
their  side-arms,  and  the  officers  held  their  personal 
property. 

At  noon  the  Dutch,  with  pealing  bugles  and  fly- 
ing banners  again  entered  upon  possession  of  the 
fort.  Many  of  the  Swedes  took  the  oath  of  allegi- 
ance  to  the  New  Netherland  government.  The 
next   day   was    Sunday.      Chaplain     Megapolensis 


ANOTHER   INDIAN   WAR.  179 

preached  a  sermon  to  the  troops.  But  a  short  dis- 
tance above  fort  Casimir  there  was  another  Swedish 
fort  called  Christina.  It  was  not  denied  that  the 
Swedes  had  a  legitimate  title  to  that  land.  Indeed 
after  the  Company  in  Holland  had  sent  directions  to 
Stuyvesant  to  drive  the  Swedes  from  the  river,  they 
sent  to  him  another  order  modifying  these  instruc- 
tions.    In  this  dispatch  they  said  : 

"You  may  allow  the  Swedes  to  hold  the  land 
on  which  fort  Christina  is  built,  with  a  garden  to 
cultivate  the  tobacco,  because  it  appears  that  they 
made  this  purchase  with  the  previous  consent  of 
the  Company,  provided  said  Swedes  will  conduct 
themselves  as  good  subjects  of  our  government. '' 

But  the  Swedish  Governor,  Rising,  having  lost 
fort  Casimir,  re-assembled  his  forces  and  strengthen- 
ed his  position  in  Fort  Christina,  which  was  two 
miles  farther  up  the  river.  This  fort  was  about 
thirty-five  miles  below  the  present  site  of  Philadel- 
phia, on  a  small  stream  called  Christina  creek.  The 
fleet  anchored  at  the  mouth  of  the  Brandywine,  and 
invested  the  fort  on  all  sides.  The  Swedes  outside 
of  the  fort  were  ruthlessly  pillaged  ;  a  battery  was 
erected  and  the  fort  summoned  to  surrender.  Re- 
sistance was  hopeless.  The  articles  of  capitulation 
were  soon  signed  between  the  victor  and  the  van- 
quished. 


180  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

"  The  Swedes  marched  out  with  their  arms,  col- 
ors flying,  matches  lighted,  drums  beating  and  fifes 
playing ;  and  the  Dutch  took  possession  of  the  fort, 
hauled  down  the  Swedish  flag  and  hoisted  their 
own." 

The  Swedes,  who  to  the  number  of  about  two 
iiundred  had  settled  in  that  vincinity,  were  allowed 
to  remain  in  the  country,  if  they  wished  to  do  so, 
upon  condition  of  taking  the  oath  of  allegiance  to 
the  Dutch  authorities.  Thus  the  Swedish  domin- 
ion on  the  South  river  was  brought  to  an  end.  This 
was  the  most  powerful  military  expedition  which 
had  ever  moved  from  any  of  the  colonies.  The 
Swedes  had  held  their  independent  position  on  the 
Delaware  but  about  seventeen  years.  Leaving  an 
agent,  as  temporary  commandant,  Stuyvesant  re- 
turned triumphantly  to  fort  Amsterdam. 

And  now  for  ten  years  there  had  been  peace 
with  the  Indians,  when  a  gross  outrage  again  roused 
their  savage  natures  to  revenge.  The  Indians,  ever 
accustomed  to  roam  the  forest,  and  to  gather  fruits, 
nuts  and  game  wherever  they  could  find  them,  had 
not  very  discriminating  views  of  the  rights  of  pri- 
vate property.  Ensign  Van  Dyck,  the  former  treas- 
urer, and  one  of  the  most  noted  men  in  the  colony, 
detected  an  Indian  woman  in  his  orchard  gathering 
peaches.     Inhumanly  he  shot  her  dead.     This  rous 


ANOTHER   INDIAN   WAR.  l8l 

ed  all  the  neighboring  tribes,  and  they  united  to 
avenge  her  death.  There  was  certainly  something 
chivalrous  in  this  prompt  combination  of  the  war- 
riors not  to  allow,  what  they  deemed  the  murder  of 
a  sister,  to  pass  unpunished. 

Taking  advantage  of  the  absence  of  Governor 
Stuyvesant,  with  nearly  all  the  military  force  he 
could  raise,  on  his  expedition  to  the  South  river, 
sixty-four  war  canoes,  containing  nineteen  hundred 
armed  Indians,  were  at  midnight  on  the  fifteenth  of 
September,  stealthily  paddled  into  the  waters  sur- 
rounding fort  Amsterdam.  They  were  picked  war- 
riors from  eight  tribes.  The  night  was  dark,  and 
the  sighing  of  the  wind  through  the  tree  tops  and 
the  breaking  of  the  surf  upon  the  beach  added  to 
the  deep  repose  of  the  sleepers. 

The  Indians  landed  and  stealthily  crept  through 
the  silent  streets  ;  and  yet,  from  some  unexplained 
cause,  they  made  no  attack.  Gradually  the  inhabi- 
tants were  awakened,  and  there  was  a  rapid  assem- 
bling of  the  principal  men  within  the  fort.  Several 
of  the  chiefs  were  called  before  them.  They 
gave  no  satisfactory  account  of  the  object  of  their 
formidable  visit,  and  uttered  no  threats.  On  the 
contraiy  they  promised  to  withdraw  before  night, 
to  Ni:tten  Island,  as  Governor's  island  was  then 
called.     Still,  watching  their  opportunity,  one  of  the 


I 82  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

warriors  pierced  the  bosom  of  Van  Dyck  with  an 
arrow. 

The  cry  of  murder  rang  through  the  streets. 
The  inhabitants  were  prepared  for  the  not  unexpect- 
ed emergency.  The  military  rushed  from  the 
fort,  and  a  fierce  battle  ensued.  The  Indians,  leav- 
ing three  of  their  warriors  dead  in  the  streets,  and 
having  killed  five  white  men  and  wounded  three 
others,  were  driven  to  their  canoes,  and  crossed  over 
the  North  river  to  the  Jersey  shore. 

And  now  their  savage  natures  burst  forth  unre- 
strained. The  flourishing  little  villages  of  Pavonia 
and  Hoboken  were  instantly  in  flames.  A  general 
scene  of  massacre  and  destruction  ensued.  Men, 
women  and  children  fell  alike  before  the  bullet,  the 
arrow  and  the  tomahawk.  The  inhabitants  of  fort 
Amsterdam  in  anguish  witnessed  the  massacre,  but 
could  render  no  assistance.  Nearly  all  their  armed 
men  were  far  away  on  the  Delaware. 

The  savages,  elated  with  success,  crossed  over  to 
Staten  island.  The  scattered  settlements  there 
numbered  about  ninety  souls.  There  were  eleven 
farms  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and  several 
plantations.  The  settlers  had  received  warning  of 
their  danger,  perhaps  by  the  flames  and  musketry 
of  Hoboken  and  Pavonia,  perhaps  by  some  messen- 
ger  from    fort    Amsterdam.     Sixty-seven    of    them 


ANOTHER  INDIAN  WAR.  183 

succeeded  in  reaching  some  stronghold  where  they 
were  able  to  defend  themselves.  The  rest,  twenty- 
three  in  number,  were  cut  off  by  the  savages.  The 
buildings  of  twenty-eight  farms  and  plantations 
were  laid  in  ashes  and  the  crops  destroyed. 

For  three  days  these  merciless  Indians  had  free 
range,  with  scarcely  any  opposition.  During  this 
time  one  hundred  of  the  Dutch  were  killed,  one 
hundred  and  fifty  were  taken  prisoners,  and  more 
than  three  hundred  were  deprived  of  house,  clothes 
and  food.  Six  hundred  cattle  and  a  vast  amount  of 
grain  were  destroyed.  The  pecuniary  value  of  the 
damage  inflicted  amounted  to  over  eighty  thousand 
dollars. 

Such  were  the  consequences  which  resulted  from 
the  folly  and  crime  of  one  man  in  shooting  an  Indian 
woman  who  was  purloining  peaches  from  his  orchard. 
Terror  spread  far  and  wide.  The  farmers  with  their 
families,  fled  from  all  directions  to  fort  Amsterdam 
for  protection.  The  feeble  settlements  on  Long 
island  were  abandoned  in  dismay.  Prowling  bands 
of  savages  wandered  over  the  island  of  Manhattan, 
burning  and  destroying.  No  one  dared  to  venture 
to  any  distance  from  the  fort.  An  express  was  dis- 
patched to  South  river  to  inform  Governor  Stuyve- 
sant  of  the  peril  of  the  colony,  and  to  implore  his 
return.    This  led  to  the  hurried  close  of  the  trar^.sac- 


1 84  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

tions  on  the  Delaware,  and  probably  secured  for  the 
Swedes  more  favorable  terms  of  capitulation  than 
they  would  otherwise  have  obtained. 

The  return  of  Governor  Stuyvesant  with  his 
military  force,  reassured  the  colonists.  In  such  an 
hour  his  imperious  nature  hesitated  not  a  moment 
in  assuming  the  dictatorship.  The  one  man  power, 
so  essential  on  the  field  of  battle,  seemed  requisite 
in  these  scenes  of  peril.  There  was  no  time  for 
deliberation.  Prompt  and  energetic  action  was 
necessary. 

The  governor  sent  soldiers  to  the  outer  settle- 
ments ;  forbade  any  vessel  to  leave  the  harbor,  forced 
into  the  ranks  every  man  capable  of  bearing  arms, 
and  imposed  a  heavy  tax  to  meet  the  expense  of 
strengthening  the  fortifications.  Several  persons, 
who  were  about  to  sail  for  Europe,  protested  against 
being  thus  detained.  Governor  Stuyvesant  fined 
them  each  ten  dollars  for  disrespect  to  the  establish- 
ed authorities,  and  contemptuously  advised  them  to 
u  possess  their  souls  in  patience." 

The  savages  found  their  captives  an  incumbrance. 
Winter  was  approach  ing  and  provisions  were  scarce. 
They  sent  one  of  their  prisoners,  an  influential  man, 
captain  Pos,  who  had  been  superintendent  of  the 
colony  on  Staten  island,  to  propose  the  ransom  of 
those  captured  for  a  stipulated  amount  of  powdei 


ANOTHER  INDIAN  WAR.  185 

and  balls.  As  captain  Pos  did  not  return  as  soon  as 
was  expected,  another  messenger  was  sent,  and  soon 
one  of  the  chiefs  returned  to  Governor  Stuyvesant, 
fourteen  Dutch  men,  women  and  children,  as  a 
present  in  token  of  his  good  will,  and  asking  that  a 
present  of  powder  and  ball  might  be  forwarded  to 
him. 

The  governor  sent  in  return  some  ammunition 
and  two  Indian  captives  and  promised  to  furnish 
more  ammunition  when  other  christians  should  be 
brought  in. 

Three  envoys  from  New  Amsterdam  visited  the 
savages  bearing  these  presents.  They  were  received 
with  the  couttesies  which  civilized  nations  accord  to 
a  flag  of  truce.  In  this  way  twenty-eight  more 
captives  were  ran.3cmed.  The  promise  was  given 
that  others  should  be  soon  brought  in.  Governor 
Stuyvesant  inquired  at  what  price  they  would  release 
all  the  remaining  prisoners  en  masse,  or  what  they 
would  ask  for  each  individual.  They  deliberated 
upon  the  matter  and  then  replied  that  they  would 
deliver  up  twenty-eight  prisoners  for  seventy-eight 
pounds  of  powder,  and  forty  staves  of  lead. 

The  governor  immediately  sent  the  amount,  and 
hoping  to  excite  their  generosity,  added  as  a  present 
in  token  of  friendly  feeling,  thirty  five  pounds  of 
powder  and  ten  staves  of  lead.     But  the  savages  did 


1 86  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

not   appreciate  this  kindness.     They  returned   the 
twenty-eight  prisoners  and  no  more. 

The  governor  of  the  Swedish  colony  on  the 
Delaware  arrived  at  New  Amsterdam  with  a  numer- 
ous suite,  awaiting  their  transportation  to  Europe 
according  to  the  terms  of  the  capitulation.  He  was 
in  very  ill  humor,  and  Governor  Stuyvesant  found  it 
impossible  to  please  him.  He  entered  bitter  com- 
plaints against  the  governor,  declaring  that  the 
articles  of  the  late  treaty  had  been  grossly  violated. 

u  In  Christina,"  said  he,  "the  women  were  vio- 
lently driven  out  of  their  houses.  The  oxen,  cows 
and  other  animals  were  butchered.  Even  the  horses 
were  wantonly  shot.  The  whole  country  was  deso- 
lated. Your  men  carried  off  even  my  own  property, 
and  we  were  left  without  means  of  defence  against 
the  savages.  No  proper  accommodations  have  been 
provided  for  me  and  my  suite  at  New  Amsterdam, 
and  our  expenses  have  not  been  defrayed. '' 

With  much  dignity  Governor  Stuyvesant  vindi- 
cated himself.  "  I  offered,"  he  said,  "  to  leave  fort 
Christina  in  your  possession,  but  you  refused  it.  I 
am  not  responsible  for  any  property  for  which  I  have 
not  given  a  receipt.  On  account  of  your  high 
station,  I  offered  more  than  once  to  entertain  you  in 
my  own  house.  As  this  did  not  satisfy  you,  you 
were  induced  to  reside  in  one  cf  the  principal  houses 


ANOTHER  INDIAN  WAR.  1 87 

of  the  city.  There  you  indulged  in  unmannerly 
threats  that  you  would  return  and  destroy  this  place. 
This  so  annoyed  the  people  of  the  house  that,  for 
peace  sake,  they  abandoned  their  lodgings. 

"  The  rumors  of  these  threats  reached  the  ears 
of  the  captains  of  the  small  vessels,  and  the  passen- 
gers with  whom  you  were  to  embark.  They  did  not 
deem  it  safe  to  take  you  and  your  suite,  with  such 
a  large  number  of  dependents.  They  feared  to  land 
you  in  England  or  France,  unless  they  should  chance 
to  meet  some  English  or  French  vessel  in  the  Chan- 
nel. We  entered  into  no  obligation  to  defray  your 
expenses  or  those  of  your  unusual  suite.*' 

Soon  after  this  Governor  Rising  and  his  attend- 
ants were  embarked  for  Europe  in  two  vessels.  A 
narrative  was,  at  the  same  time,  sent  to  the  father- 
land of  the  recent  Indian  troubles.  The  defence- 
less condition  of  the  country  was  explained  and  as- 
sistance earnestly  implored. 

There  were  still  a  number  of  captives  held  by  the 
Indian  tribes  who  dwelt  among  the  Highlands. 
The  question  was  anxiously  deliberated,  in  the 
Council,  respecting  the  best  mode  of  recovering  them. 
One  only,  Van  Tienhoven,  was  in  favor  of  war.  But 
Governor  Stuyvesant  said, 

"  The  recent  war  is  to  be  attributed  to  the  rash. 
ness  of  a  few  hot-headed  individuals.     It  becomes 


1 88  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

us  to  reform  ourselves,  to  abstain  from  all  that  is 
wrong,  and  to  protect  our  villages  with  proper  de- 
fences. Let  us  build  block-houses  wherever  they 
are  needed  and  not  permit  any  armed  Indian  to  en- 
ter the  European  settlements." 

The  Long  Island  Indians  sent  a  delegation  to 
New  Amsterdam  declaring  that  for  ten  years,  since 
1645,  they  had  been  the  friends  of  the  Dutch,  and 
had  done  them  no  harm,  "  not  even  to  the  value  of 
a  dog.''  They  sent,  as  a  present,  a  bundle  of  wam- 
pum in  token  of  the  friendship  of  the  chiefs  of  the 
Eastern  tribes.  But  the  up-river  Indians  continued 
sullen.  With  their  customary  cunning  or  sagacity 
they  retained  quite  a  number  of  captives,  holding 
them  as  pledges  to  secure  themselves  from  the  ven- 
geance of  the  Dutch.  There  was  no  hope  of  libera- 
ting them  by  war,  since  the  Indians  would  never  de- 
liver up  a  white  captive  in  exchange  for  prisoners 
of  their  own  tribes.  And  upon  the  first  outbreak  of 
war  the  unfortunate  Dutch  prisoners  would  be  con- 
veyed to  inaccessible  depths  of  the  forests. 

The  Dutch  settlers  had  scattered  widely,  on 
farms  and  plantations.  Thus  they  were  peculiarly 
exposed  to  attacks  from  the  Indians,  and  could  ren- 
der each  other  but  little  assistance.  As  a  remedy 
for  this  evil,  Governor  Stuyvesant  issued  a  procla- 
mation   ordering  all   who  lived  in   secluded  places 


ANOTHEP    INDIAN   WAR.  I89 

in  the  country  to  assemble  and  unite  themselves 
in  villages  before  the  ensuing  spring,  Cl  after  the 
fashion,"  as  he  said,  u  of  our  New  England  neigh- 
bors." 

In  Sweden,  before  the  tidings  of  the  fall  of  fort 
Casimir  had  reached  that  country,  an  expedition 
had  been  fitted  out  for  the  South  river,  conveying 
one  hundred  and  thirty  emigrants.  Stuyvesant,  on 
learning  of  their  arrival,  forbade  them  to  land.  He 
dispatched  a  vessel  and  a  land  force,  to  capture  the 
Swedish  ship  the  Mercury,  and  bring  it  with  all  the 
passengers  to  fort  Amsterdam.  Having  disposed  of 
her  cargo,  the  vessel  and  all  the  Swedish  soldiers  it 
bore,  were  sent  back  to  Europe. 

In  obedience  to  orders  from  home,  Stuyvesant 
erected  a  fort  at  Oyster  Bay,  on  the  north  side  of 
Long  island.  In  the  instructions  he  received  he  was 
enjoined,  u  to  maintain,  by  force,  if  necessary,  the  in- 
tegrity of  the  Dutch  province,  the  boundaries  of 
which  have  just  been  formally  confirmed  by  the 
States-General.,, 

The  Directors  added,  "We  do  not  hesitate  to 
approve  of  your  expedition  on  the  South  river,  and 
its  happy  termination.  We  should  not  have  been 
displeased,  however,  if  such  a  formal  capitulation  for 
the  surrender  of  the  forts  had  not  taken  place,  but 
that  the  whole  business  had  been  transacted   in  a 


I9O  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

manner  similar  to  that  of  which  the  Swede  1  uet  us 
an  example  when  they  made  themselves  ma  Pen  of 
fort  Casimir." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

An  Energetic  Administration, 

New  Amsterdam  in  1656. — Religious  Intolerance. — Persecution  of 
the  Waldenses. — The  New  Colony  on  South  river. — Wreck  of 
the  Prince  Maurice. —  The  Friendly  Indians. — Energetic  Action 
of  the  Governor. — Persecution  of  the  Quakers. — Remonstrance 
from  Flushing. — The  Desolation  of  Staten  Island. — Purchase  of 
Bergen. — Affairs  at  Esopus. — The  Indian  Council. — Generosity 
of  the  Indians. — New  Amstel. — Encroachments  of  the  English. 

War  would  doubtless  have  arisen,  between 
Sweden  and  Holland,  in  view  of  transactions  on 
South  river,  had  not  all  the  energies  of  Sweden  been 
then  called  into  requisition  in  a  war  with  Poland. 
The  Swedish  government  contented  itself  with  pre- 
senting a  vigorous  memorial  to  the  States-General, 
which  for  eight  years  was  renewed  without  accom- 
plishing any  redress. 

The  vice-governor  resided  at  fort  Orange,  in  a 
two  story  house,  the  upper  floor  of  which  was  used 
as  a  court-room.  This  station  was  the  principal 
mart  for  the  fur  trade,  which  had  now  become  so 
considerable  that  upwards  of  thirty-five  thousand 
beaver  skins  were  exported  during  the  year  1656. 

A  survey  of  the  city  of  New  Amsterdam  was 


tQ2  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

made  this  year,  which  showed  that  there  were  one 
hundred  and  twenty  houses,  and  a  population  of  one 
thousand  souls.  A  man  like  Stuyvesant,  the  warm 
advocate  of  arbitrary  power,  would  almost  of  neces- 
sity, be  religiously  intolerant.  Zealously  devoted  to 
the  Reformed  church,  and  resolved  to  have  unity 
in  religion,  notwithstanding  the  noble  toleration 
which  existed  in  Holland,  he  issued  a  proclamation 
forbidding  any  one  from  holding  a  religious  meet- 
ing not  in  harmony  with  the  Reformed  church. 

Any  preacher,  who  should  violate  this  ordinance 
was  to  be  subjected  to  a  penalty  of  one  hundred 
pounds.  Any  one  who  should  attend  such  a  meet- 
ing was  to  be  punished  by  a  penalty  of  twenty-five 
pounds. 

This  law  was  rigorously  enforced.  Recusants 
were  fined  and  imprisoned.  Complaints  were  sent 
to  Holland,  and  the  governor  was  severely  rebuked 
for  his  bigotry. 

"  We  would  fain,"  the  Directors  wrote  to  Stuy- 
vesant, "  not  have  seen  your  worship's  hand  set  to 
the  placard  against  the  Lutherans,  nor  have  heard 
that  you  oppressed  them  with  the  imprisonments 
of  which  the)-  have  complained  to  us.  It  has  always 
been  our  intention  to  let  them  enjoy  all  calmness 
and  tranquillity.  Wherefore  you  will  not  hereafter 
publish  any  similar  placards,  without  our    previous 


AN   ENERGETIC   ADMINISTRATION.  193 

consent,  but  allow  all  the  free  exercise  of  their  reli- 
gion within  their  own  houses." 

But  Stuyvesant  was  a  man  born  to  govern,  not 
be  governed.  He  was  silent  respecting  the  instruc- 
tions he  had  received  from  home.  When  the  Luther- 
ans informed  him  that  the  Directors  of  the  Com- 
pany had  ordered  that  the  same  toleration  should 
exist  in  New  Netherland  which  was  practiced  in  the 
fatherland,  he  firmly  replied  that  he  must  wait  for  fur- 
ther explanations,  and  that  in  the  mean  time  his  ordin- 
ance against  public  conventicles  must  be  executed. 

At  Flushing  a  cobbler  from  Rhode  Island,  a  bap- 
tist, William  Wickendam  by  name,  ventured  to 
preach,  "and  even  went  with  the  people  into  the 
river  and  dipped  them."  He  was  fined  one  thou- 
sand pounds  and  ordered  to  be  banished.  As  he 
was  a  poor  man  the  debt  was  remitted,  but  he  was 
obliged  to  leave  the  province. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  thus  far  nearly  all 
the  operations  of  the  Dutch,  in  the  New  World,  had 
been  performed  under  the  authority  of  Dutch  mer- 
chants, called  u  The  West  India  Company."  Their 
chartered  powers  were  very  great.  Only  in  a  sub- 
ordinate degree  were  they  subject  to  the  control  of 
the  States-General. 

At  this  time  there  was  a  very  cruel  persecution 
commenced  by  the  Duke  of  Savoy  against  the  Wal 
9 


194  PETER   STU  YVES  ANT. 

denses.  Hundreds  of  them  fled  to  the  city  of 
Amsterdam,  in  Holland,  which  was  then  the  refuge 
for  the  persecuted  of  all  nations.  They  were  received 
with  the  most  noble  hospitality.  The  city  govern- 
ment not  only  gave  them  an  asylum,  but  voted  large 
sums  from  its  treasury,  for  their  support. 

Carrying  out  this  policy,  the  city  decided  to  es- 
tablish a  colony  of  its  own  in  New  Netherland,  to 
be  composed  mainly  of  these  Waldenses.  The 
municipal  authorities  purchased  of  the  West  India 
Company,  for  seven  hundred  guilders,  all  the  land 
on  the  west  side  of  South  river,  from  Christina  kill 
to  Bombay  Hook.  This  gave  a  river  front  of  about 
forty  miles,  running  back  indefinitely  into  the 
interior.  This  region  was  named  New  Amstel. 
The  colonists  were  offered  a  free  passage,  ample 
farms  on  the  river,  and  provisions  and  clothing  for 
one  year.  The  city  also  agreed  to  send  out  "  a 
proper  person  for  a  schoolmaster,  who  shall  also  read 
the  holy  Scriptures  in  public  and  set  the  Psalms." 
A  church  was  to  be  organized  so  soon  as  there  were 
two  hundred  inhabitants  in  the  colony. 

The  Company  wrote  to  Stuyvesant  saying,  "  The 
confidence  we  feel  about  the  success  and  increase  of 
this  new  colony  of  which  we  hope  to  see  some 
prominent  features  next  spring,  when  to  all  appear- 
ance, large  numbers  of  the  exiled  Waldenses  will 


AN  ENERGETIC  ADMINISTRATION.  195 

flock  thither,  as  to  an  asylum,  induces  us  to  send  you 
orders  to  endeavor  to  purchase  of  the  Indians,  before 
it  can  be  accomplished  by  any  other  nation,  all  that 
tract  of  land  situated  between  the  South  river  and 
the  Hook  of  the  North  river,  to  provide  establish- 
ments for  these  emigrants." 

On  Christmas  day  of  1656,  three  vessels  contain- 
ing one  hundred  and  sixty  emigrants,  sailed  from 
the  Texel.  A  wintry  storm  soon  separated  them. 
The  principal  ship,  the  Prince  Maurice,  which  had 
the  largest  number  of  passengers,  after  a  long  voy- 
age, was  wrecked  on  the  South  coast  of  Long  island, 
near  Fire  island  inlet,  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
present  town  of  Islip.  It  was  midnight  when  the 
ship  struck.  As  soon  as  it  was  light  the  passengers 
and  crew  succeeded  in  reaching  the  shore  in  their 
boats  through  the  breakers  and  through  vast  masses 
of  floating  ice. 

They  found  upon  the  shore  a  bleak,  barren,  tiee- 
less  waste,  "  without  weeds,  grass  or  timber  of  any 
sort  to  make  a  fire."  It  was  bitter  cold.  A  fierce 
wind  swept  the  ocean  and  the  land,  and  the  sea  ran 
50  high  that  it  was  expected  every  moment  the  ship 
would  go  to  pieces.  These  poor  emigrants  thus 
suddenly  huddled  upon  the  icy  land,  without  food 
and  without  shelter,  were  in  imminent  peril  of  per- 
ishing from  cold  and  starvation. 


l$6  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

Their  sufferings  were  so  terrible  that  they  were 
rejoiced  to  see  some  Indians  approaching  over  the 
wide  plains,  though  they  knew  not  whether  the 
savages  would  prove  hostile  or  friendly.  But  the 
Indians  came  like  brothers,  aided  them  in  every  way, 
and  dispatched  two  swift  runners  across  the  island 
to  inform  Governor  Stuyvesant  of  the  calamity. 
Some  sails  were  brought  on  shore,  with  which  a 
temporary  shelter  from  the  piercing  blast  was  con- 
structed, and  enough  food  was  secured  to  save  from 
absolute  starvation. 

The  energetic  governor  immediately  dispatched 
nine  or  ten  lighters  to  their  assistance,  and  with 
needful  supplies  proceeded  in  person  to  the  scene 
of  the  disaster.  Thus  nearly  all  the  cargo  was 
saved  and  the  passengers  were  transported  to  New 
Amsterdam.  There  were  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  passengers  on  board  the  Prince  Maurice, 
seventy-six  of  whom  were  women  and  children. 
Another  ship,  the  Gilded  Beaver,  was  chartered  at 
New  Amsterdam  which  conveyed  them  all  safely, 
after  a  five  days'  passage,  to  South  river.  The  other 
vessels,  with  soldiers  and  a  few  settlers,  also  soon 
arrived. 

It  is  said  that  at  this  time  the  "  public,"  exercis- 
es of  religion  were  not  allowed  to  any  sects  in  Hol- 
land except  the  Calvinists.     But  all  others  were  per- 


AN  ENERGETIC  ADMINISTRATION.  197 

mitted  to  engage  freely  in  their  worship  in  private 
houses,  which  were  in  fact,  as  if  public,  these  places 
of  preaching  being  spacious  and  of  sufficient  size  for 
any  assembly.  Under  this  construction  of  the  law 
every  religion  was  in  fact  tolerated.* 

The  Lutherans  in  Holland  sent  a  clergyman, 
Ernestus  Goetwater,  to  New  Amsterdam,  to  organize 
a  church.  The  Directors  wrote,  "  It  is  our  intention 
to  permit  every  one  to  have  freedom  within  his 
own  dwelling,  to  serve  God  in  such  manner  as  his 
religion  requires,  but  without  authorizing  any  pub- 
lic meetings  or  conventicles." 

This  tolerance,  so  imperfect  in  the  light  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  was  very  noble  in  the  dark  days 
of  the  seventeenth.  Upon  the  arrival  of  Goetwater 
at  New  Amsterdam,  the  clergy  of  the  Reformed 
church  remonstrated  against  his  being  permitted  to 
preach.  The  governor,  adhering  to  his  policy  of 
bigotry,  forbade  him  to  hold  any  meeting,  or  to  do 
any  clerical  service,  but  to  regulate  his  conduct  ac- 
cording to  the  placards  of  the  province  against  pri- 
vate conventicles.  Soon  after  this  the  governor 
ordered  him  to  leave  the  colony  and  to  return  to 
Holland.  This  harsh  decree  was  however  suspend- 
ed out  of  regard  to  the  feeble  health  of  Goetwater. 

On   the  6th  of  August,  1657,  a  ship  arrived   at 

•  History  of  New  Nctherland  by  E.B.  O'Callaghan,  Vol  2.  p.  317 


I98  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

New  Amsterdam  with  several  Quakers  on  board 
Two  of  them,  women,  began  to  preach  publicly  in 
the  streets.  They  were  arrested  and  imprisoned. 
Soon  after  they  were  discharged  and  embarked  on 
board  a  ship  to  sail  through  Hell  Gate,  to  Rhode  Isl- 
and, "  where,"  writes  Domine  Megapolensis,  a  all 
kinds  of  scum  dwell,  for  it  is  nothing  else  than  a 
sink  for  New  England. '' 

One  of  the  Quakers,  Robert  Hodgson,  went 
over  to  Long  Island.  At  Hempstead  he  was  arrest- 
ed and  committed  to  prison,  and  was  thence  trans- 
ferred to  one  of  the  dungeons  of  fort  Amsterdam. 
He  was  brought  before  the  Council,  convicted  of  the 
crime  of  preaching  contrary  to  the  law,  and  was  sen- 
tenced to  pay  a  fine  of  six  hundred  guilders,  about 
two  hundred  and  forty  dollars,  or  to  labor  two  years 
at  a  wheelbarrow,  with  a  negro. 

After  a  few  days'  imprisonment  he  was  chained 
to  the  wheelbarrow  and  commanded  tc  work.  He 
refused.  A  negro  was  ordered  to  beat  tiim  with  a 
tarred  rope,  which  he  did  until  the  sufferer  fell,  in 
utter  exhaustion,  almost  senseless  to  the  ground. 
The  story  of  the  persecutions  which  this  unhappy 
man  endured,  is  almost  too  dreadful  to  be  told. 
But  it  ought  to  be  told  as  a  warning  against  all  re* 
ligious   intolerance. 

u  Not  satisfied,"  writes  O'Callaghan,  "  his  perse 


AN  ENERGETIC  ADMINISTRATION.  I99 

cutors  had  him  lifted  up.  The  negro  again  beat 
him  until  he  fell  a  second  time,  after  receiving,  as 
was  estimated,  one  hundred  blows.  Notwithstand- 
ing all  this,  he  was  kept,  in  the  heat  of  the  sun, 
chained  to  the  wheelbarrow,  his  body  bruised  and 
swollen,  faint  from  want  of  food,  until  at  length  he 
could  no  longer  support  himself  and  he  was  obliged 
to  sit  down. 

u  The  night  found  him  again  in  his  cell,  and  the 
morrow  at  the  wheelbarrow,  with  a  sentinel  over 
him,  to  prevent  all  conversation.  On  the  third  day 
he  was  again  led  forth,  chained  as  before.  He  still 
refused  to  work,  for  he  "  had  committed  no  evil." 
He  was  then  led  anew  before  the  director-general, 
who  ordered  him  to  work,  otherwise  he  should  be 
whipt  every  day.  He  was  again  chained  to  the 
barrow  and  threatened,  if  he  should  speak  to  any 
person,  with  more  severe  punishment.  But  not  be- 
ing able  to  keep  him  silent,  he  was  taken  back  to  his 
dungeon,  where  he  was  kept  several  days,  "  two 
nights  and  one  day  and  a  half  of  which  without 
bread  or  water." 

"  The  rage  of  persecution  was  still  unsatiated. 
He  was  now  removed  to  a  private  room,  stripped  to 
his  waist,  and  then  hung  up  to  the  ceiling  by  his 
hands,  with  a  heavy  log  of  wood  tied  to  his  feet,  so 
that  he  could  not  turn  his  body.     A  strong  negro 


200  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

then  commenced  lashing  him  with  rods  until  his 
flesh  was  cut  in  pieces.  Now  let  down,  he  was 
thrown  again  into  his  loathsome  dungeon,  where  he 
was  kept  ten  days,  in  solitary  confinement,  after 
which  he  was  brought  forth  to  undergo  a  repetition 
of  the  same  barbarous  torture.  He  was  now  kept 
like  a  slave  to  hard  work." 

His  case  eventually  excited  so  much  compassion 
that  Stuyvesant's  sister  interfered,  and  implored  her 
brother  so  importunately  that  he  was  at  last  induced 
to  liberate  the  unfortunate  man.  Let  a  firm 
Quaker  resolve  that  he  will  not  do  something,  and 
let  a  Governor  Stuyvesant  resolve  that  he  shall  do 
it,  and  it  is  indeed  "  Greek  meeting  Greek." 

Henry  Townsend,  of  Jamaica,  ventured  to  hold 
prayer-meetings  in  his  house,  in  defiance  of  the 
ordinance  against  conventicles.  The  governor  sen 
tenced  him  to  pay  a  fine  of  eight  pounds  and  to 
leave  the  province  within  six  weeks,  under  pain  of 
corporeal  punishment.  This  sentence  was  followed 
by  a  proclamation,  fining  any  one  fifty  pounds  who 
should  entertain  a  Quaker  for  a  single  night,  and 
confiscating  any  vessels  which  should  bring  a  Quaker 
to  the  province. 

The  inhabitants  of  Flushing,  where  Townsena 
had  formerly  resided,  and  where  he  was  very  highly 
respected,  issued  a  noble  remonstrance  to  Governor 


AN   ENERGETIC   ADMINISTRATION.  201 

Stuyvesant  against  this  persecution  of  their  former 
townsman. 

The  remonstrance  was  drawn  up  by  the  town 
clerk,  Edward  Hart,  and  was  signed  by  all  the  adult 
male  inhabitants,  twenty-nine  in  number.  The 
memorial  said  : 

"  We  are  commanded  by  the  law  of  God  to  do 
good  unto  all  men.  The  law  of  love,  peace  and 
liberty,  extending  in  the  state  to  Jews,  Turks  and 
Egyptians,  forms  the  glory  of  Holland.  So  love, 
peace  and  liberty  extending  to  all  in  Christ  Jesus, 
condemn  hatred,  war  and  bondage.  We  desire  not 
to  offend  one  of  Christ's  little  ones  under  whatever 
form,  name  or  title  he  may  appear,  whether  Presby- 
terian, Independent,  Baptist  or  Quaker.  On  the 
contrary  we  desire  to  do  to  all  as  we  could  wish  all 
to  do  to  us.  Should  any  of  those  people  come  in 
love  among  us,  we  cannot  lay  violent  hands  upon 
them.  We  must  give  them  free  ingress  and  egres? 
into  our  houses." 

This  remonstrance  was  carried  to  New  Amster- 
dam by  Tobias  Feake,  and  presented  to  the  gov- 
ernor. His  indignation  was  roused.  Feake  was 
arrested  and  committed  to  prison.  The  sheriff  was 
sent  to  Flushing  to  bring  Hart  and  two  of  the  megis- 
trates,  Farrington  and  Noble,  to  the  presence  of  the 
enraged  governcr.     It  was  a  fearful  thing  to  fall  into 


202  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

his  hands  when  his  wrath  was  inflamed.  They  were 
imprisoned  for  some  time,  and  were  then  released 
upon  their  humbly  imploring  the  pardon  of  the  gov- 
ernor, expressing  their  deep  regret  that  they  had 
signed  the  remonstrance  and  promising  that  they 
would  sin  in  that  way,  no  more.  The  town  itself 
was  punished  by  the  prohibition  in  future  of  all  town 
meetings,  without  the  permission  of  the  governor. 
Indeed  the  mass  of  the  settlers  were  no  longer  to 
decide  upon  their  local  affairs,  but  a  committee  of 
seven  persons  was  to  decide  all  such  questions.  All 
who  were  dissatisfied  with  these  arrangements  were 
ordered  to  sell  their  property  an*d  leave  the  town. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  continue  the  record  of  this 
disgraceful  persecution.  The  governor  was  unre- 
lenting. Whoever  ventured  to  oppose  his  will  felt 
the  weight  of  his  chastising  hand. 

New  Amsterdam  consisted  of  wooden  houses 
clustered  together.  The  danger  from  fire  was  very 
great.  The  governor  imposed  a  tax  of  a  beaver 
skin,  or  its  equivalent  upon  each  householder  to  pay 
for  two  hundred  and  fifty  leather  fire  buckets  and 
hooks  and  ladders,  to  be  procured  in  Holland.  He 
also  established  a  "  rattle  watch"  to  traverse  the 
streets  from  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  until  morn- 
ing drum-beat. 

Stuyvesant   would   allow    nothing   to   be   done 


AN  ENERGETIC  ADMINISTRATION.  203 

which  he  did  not  control.  The  education  of  the 
young  was  greatly  neglected.  Jacob  Corlaer  open- 
ed a  school.  The  governor  peremptorily  closed  it, 
because  he  had  presumed  to  take  the  office  without 
governmental  permission.  To  establish  a  place  of 
amusement  the  governor  formed  a  village  called 
Haarlem,  at  the  northern  extremity  of  Manhattan 
island.  He  also  constructed  a  good  road  over  the 
island,  through  the  forest,  "  so  that  it  may  be  made 
easy  to  come  hither,  and  return  to  that  village  on 
horseback  or  in  a  wagon.*'  A  ferry  was  also  estab- 
lished to  Long  Island. 

Staten  Island  was  a  dreary  waste.  It  had  not 
recovered  from  the  massacre  of  1655.  Efforts  were 
made  to  encourage  the  former  settlers  to  return  to 
their  desolated  homes,  and  to  encourage  fresh  colo- 
nists to  take  up  their  residence  upon  the  island. 
To  promote  the  settlement  of  the  west  side  of  the 
North  river,  Stuyvesant  purchased  from  the  In- 
dians, all  the  territory  now  known  as  Bergen,  in  New 
Jersey. 

This  purchase  comprised  the  extensive  region, 
"  beginning  from  the  great  rock  above  Wiehackan, 
and  from  there  right  through  the  land,  until  above 
the  island  Sikakes,  and  from  there  to  the  Kill  van 
Col,  and  so  along  to  the  Constables  Hook,  and 
thence  again  to  the  rock  above  Wiehackan." 


204  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

The  settlement  at  Esopus,  was  in  many  respects 
in  a  flourishing  condition.  But  it  was  so  much  more 
convenient  for  the  farmers  to  have  their  dwellings  in 
the  midst  of  the  fields  they  cultivated,  instead  of 
clustering  them  together  in  a  compact  village,  that 
they  persisted  in  the  dangerous  practice,  notwith- 
standing all  the  warnings  of  the  governor.  There 
were  individuals  also  who  could  not  be  restrained 
from  paying  brandy  to  the  savages  for  their  peltries 
The  intoxicated  Indians  often  committed  outrages. 
One  of  the  settlers  was  killed.  The  house  and  out- 
buildings of  another  were  burned.  The  Dutch  re- 
taliated by  destroying  the  cornfields  of  the  Indians, 
hoping  thus  to  drive  them  to  a  distance.  At  this 
time,  in  May,  1658,  there  were  about  seventy  colo- 
nists at  Esopus.  They  had  widely  extended  fields 
of  grain.  But  the  Indians  were  becoming  daily  more 
inimical,  and  the  alarmed  colonists  wrote  to  Govern 
or  Stuyvesant,  saying, 

"  We  pray  you  to  send  forty  or  fifty  soldiers  to 
save  Esopus,  which,  if  well  settled,  might  supply  the 
whole  of  New  Netherland  with  provisions.'' 

The  governor  ordered  a  redoubt  to  be  built  at 
Esopus,  sent  an  additional  supply  of  ammunition, 
and  taking  fifty  soldiers  with  him,  went  up  the  river 
to  ascertain,  by  a  personal  investigation,  the  wants 
of  the  people.     He  urged  them  strenuously  to  unite 


AN   ENERGETIC  ADMINISTRATION.  205 

In  a  village,  which  could  be  easily  palisaded,  and 
which  would  thus  afford  them  complete  protection. 
The  colonists  objected  that  it  would  be  very  diffi- 
cult to  remove  from  their  farms,  while  their  crops 
were  ungathered,  and  that  it  would  be  impossible  to 
select  a  site  for  the  village  which  would  please  all. 
The  governor  refused  to  leave  the  soldiers  with 
them  unless  they  would  immediately  decide  to  con- 
centrate in  a  village.  In  that  case  he  would  remain 
and  aid  them  in  constructing  the  palisade  till  it 
should  be  completed. 

In  the  mean  time  messengers  were  sent  to  all 
the  neighboring  chiefs  inviting  them  to  come  to  Eso- 
pus  to  meet  "  the  grand  sachem  from  Manhattan." 
Sixty  of  these  plumed  warriors  were  soon  assem- 
bled, with  a  few  women  and  children.  The  gov- 
ernor, with  two  followers  and  an  interpreter,  met 
them  beneath  the  widespread  branches  of  an 
aged  tree.  One  of  the  chiefs  opened  the  interview 
by  a  long  speech,  in  which  he  recounted  all  the  inju- 
ries which  he  conceived  that  the  Indians  had  expe- 
rienced from  the  foreigners.  The  governor  listened 
patiently.     He  then  replied, 

"  These  events  occurred,  as  you  well  know,  before 
my  time.  I  am  not  responsible  for  them.  Has  any 
injury  been  done  you  sir.ce  I  came  into  the  country? 
Your  chiefs  have  asked  us,  over  and  over  again,  to 


206  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

make  a  settlement  among  them.  We  have  not  had 
a  foot  of  your  land  without  paying  for  it.  We  do 
not  desire  to  have  any  more  without  making  you 
full  compensation.  Why  then  have  you  committed 
this  murder,  burned  our  houses  and  killed  our  cat- 
tle? And  why  do  you  continue  to  threaten  our 
people  ?  " 

There  was  a  long  pause,  as  though  the  chiefs 
were  meditating  upon  the  answer  which  should  be 
made.  Then  one  of  them  rose  and,  with  great  de- 
liberation and  dignity  of  manner,  said, 

"You  Swannekins,"  for  that  was  the  name  they 
gave  the  Dutchmen,  "  have  sold  our  children  drink. 
We  cannot  then  control  them,  or  prevent  them  from 
fighting.  This  murder  has  not  been  committed  by 
any  of  our  tribe,  but  by  a  Minnisinck,  who  now  skulks 
among  the  Haverstraws.  'Twas  he  who  fired  the  two 
houses  and  then  fled.  We  have  no  malice.  We  do 
not  wish  to  fight.  But  we  cannot  control  our  young 
men  after  you  have  sold  them  drink." 

The  best  of  the  argument  thus  far,  was  manifest- 
ly with  the  Indians.  The  irascible  governor  lost 
his  temper.  "  If  any  of  your  young  savages,"  said 
he,  "  want  to  fight,  let  them  come  on.  I  will  place 
man  against  man.  Nay,  I  will  place  twenty  against 
forty  of  your  hotheads.  It  is  not  manlv  to  threaten 
farmers  and  women  and  children  who  are  not  war- 


AN  ENERGETIC  ADMINISTRATION.  207 

riors.  If  this  be  not  stopped  I  shall  be  compelled 
to  retaliate  on  old  and  young,  women  and  children. 
I  expect  of  you  that  you  will  repair  all  damages  and 
seize  the  murderer  if  he  come  among  you. 

"  The  Dutch  are  now  to  live  together  in  one 
spot.  It  is  desirable  that  you  should  sell  us  the 
whole  of  the  Esopus  land  and  move  farther  into  the 
interior.  It  is  not  well  for  you  to  reside  so  near  the 
Swannekins.  Their  cattle  may  eat  your  corn  and 
thus  cause  fresh  disturbance." 

The  Council  was  closed  with  professions  of  friend- 
ship on  both  sides.  The  Indians  promised  to  take 
the  suggestions  of  the  governor  into  careful  consid- 
eration. The  settlers  also  decided  to  adopt  the 
counsel  of  the  governor.  They  agreed  unanimous- 
ly to  form  themselves  into  a  village,  leaving  it  with 
Governor  Stuyvesant  to  select  the  site.  He  chose 
a  spot  at  the  bend  of  the  creek,  where  three  sides 
would  be  surrounded  by  water.  Two  hundred  and 
ten  yards  of  palisades  formed  the  sufficient  enclosure. 

All  hands  now  went  to  work  energetically. 
While  thus  employed  a  band  of  Indian  warriors,  in 
their  most  showy  attire,  was  seen  approaching.  It 
was  feared  that  they  were  on  the  war  path,  and  the 
soldiers  immediately  stood  to  their  arms.  It  is  un« 
deniable  that  the  Indians  seemed  ever  disposed  to 
cherish  kindly  feelings  when  justly  treated. 


208  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

These  kind  hearted  savages  fifty  in  number,  not* 
withstanding  all  the  wrongs  which  they  had  endur- 
ed, came  forward  and  one  of  them,  addressing  the 
governor,  said, 

In  token  of  our  good  will,  and  that  we  have  laid 
aside  all  malice,  we  request  the  Grand  Sachem  to  ac- 
cept as  a  free  present,  the  land  on  which  he  has 
commenced  his  settlement.  We  give  it  to  grease 
his  feet,  as  he  has  undertaken  so  long  and  painful  a 
journey  to  visit  us." 

The  labor  of  three  weeks  completed  the  de- 
fences. The  buildings  were  reared  within  the  enclos- 
ure. A  strong  guard-house,  sixteen  feet  by  twen- 
ty-three, was  built  in  the  northeast  corner  of  the  vil- 
lage. A  bridge  was  thrown  across  the  creek,  and 
temporary  quarters  were  erected  for  the  soldiers. 
The  energetic  governor  having  accomplished  all 
this  in  a  month,  left  twenty-four  soldiers  behind 
him  to  guard  the  village,  and  returned  to  Manhat 
tan. 

In  1658,  the  little  settlement  of  New  Amstel 
presented  quite  a  flourishing  appearance.  It  had 
become  a  goodly  town  of  about  one  hundred  houses/' 
containing  about  five  hundred  inhabitants.  As  many 
of  these  were  Waldenses,  Swedes  and  emigrants 
from  other  nationalities,  they  seemed  to  think  them- 
selves independent  of  the  provincial  authorities  at 


AN   ENERGETIC   ADMINISTRATION.-  209 

New  Amsterdam.  The  governor  therefoie  visited 
the  place  in  person,  and  called  upon  all  to  take  the 
oath  of  allegiance. 

There  was  great  jealousy  felt  by  the  governor  in 
reference  to  the  encroachments  of  the  English. 
They  were  pressing  their  claims  everywhere.  They 
were  establishing  small  settlements  upon  territory 
undeniably  belonging  to  the  Dutch.  English  emi- 
grants were  crowding  the  Dutch  colonies  and  were 
daily  gaining  in  influence.  Though  they  readily 
took  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  Dutch  authorities, 
all  their  sympathies  were  with  England  and  the 
English  colonies. 

The  Directors  of  the  Company  wrote  to  Stuyve- 
sant  recommending  him  "  to  disentangle  himself  in 
the  best  manner  possible  from  the  Englishmen  whom 
he  had  allowed  to  settle  at  New  Amstel.  And  at 
all  events  not  to  admit  any  English  besides  them  in 
that  vicinity,  much  less  to  allure  them  by  any  means 
whatever." 

There  were  many  indications  that  the  English 
were  contemplating  pressing  up  from  Virginia  to  the 
beautiful  region  of  the  Delaware  The  Directors 
urged  Stuyvesant  to  purchase  immediately  from  the 
Indians  the  tract  of  land  between  Cape  Henlopen 
and  Bombay  Hook.  This  contained  a  frontage  on 
Delaware  bay  of  about  seventy  miles. 


ZIO  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

"  You  will  perceive,"  they  wrote,  "  that  speed  is 
required,  if  for  nothing  else,  that  we  may  prevent 
other  nations,  and  principally  our  English  neighbors, 
as  we  really  apprehend  that  this  identical  spot  has 
attracted  their  notice.  When  we  reflect  upon  the 
insufferable  proceedings  of  that  nation  not  only  by 
intruding  themselves  upon  our  possessions  about  the 
North,  to  which  our  title  is  indisputable,  and  when 
we  consider  the  bold  arrogance  and  faithlessness  of 
those  who  are  residing  within  our  jurisdiction,  we 
cannot  expect  any  good  from  that  quarter." 

In  the  autumn  of  this  year  a  very  momentous 
event  occurred.  Though  it  was  but  the  death  of 
a  single  individual,  that  individual  was  Oliver  Crom- 
well. Under  his  powerful  sway  England  had  risen 
to  a  position  of  dignity  and  power  such  as  the  nation 
had  never  before  attained.  A  terrible  storm  swept 
earth  and  sky  during  the  night  in  which  his  tempest- 
uous earthly  life  came  to  a  close.  The  roar  of  the 
hurricane  appalled  all  minds,  as  amid  floods  of  rain 
trees  were  torn  up  by  the  roots,  and  houses  were 
unroofed.  The  friends  of  the  renowned  Protector 
said  that  nature  was  weeping  and  mourning  in  her 
loudest  accents  over  the  great  loss  humanity  was 
•  experiencing  in  the  death  of  its  most  illustrious 
benefactor.  The  enemies  of  Cromwell  affirmed  that 
the  Frince  of  the  Power  of  the  Air  had  come  with 


AN   ENERGETIC   ADMINISTRATION.  211 

all  his  shrieking  demons,  to  seize  the  soul  of  the 
dying  and  bear  it  to  its  merited  doom. 

Scarce  six  months  passed  away  ere  the  reins  of 
government  fell  from  the  feeble  hands  of  Richard, 
the  eldest  son  and  heir  of  Oliver  Cromwell,  and 
Monk  marched  across  the  Tweed  and  paved  the 
way  for  the  restoration  of  Charles  the  Second. 

To  add  to  the  alarm  of  the  Dutch,  Massachusetts, 
taking  the  ground  that  the  boundary  established  by 
the  treaty  of  Hartford,  extended  only  "so  far  as 
New  Haven  had  jurisdiction,"  claimed  by  virtue  of 
royal  grant  all  of  the  land  north  of  the  forty-second 
degree  of  latitude  to  the  Merrimac  river,  and  extend- 
ing from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  ocean.  The 
forty-second  parallel  of  latitude  crossed  the  Hudson 
near  Red  Hook  and  Saugerties.  This  boundary 
line  transferred  the  whole  of  the  upper  Hudson 
and  at  least  four-fifths  of  the  State  of  New  York 
to  Massachusetts. 

In  accordance  with  this  claim,  Massachusetts 
granted  a  large  section  of  land  on  the  east  side  of 
the  Hudson  river,  opposite  the  present  site  of 
Albany,  to  a  number  of  her  principal  merchants  to 
open  energetically  a  trade  with  the  Indians  for  their1 
furs.  An  exploring  party  was  also  sent  from  Hart- 
ford to  sail  up  the  North  river  and  examine  iti 
shores   in    reference    to    future    settlements.       The 


212  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

English  could  not  enter  the  Hudson  and  pass  foit 
Amsterdam  with  their  vessels  without  permission  of 
the  Dutch.  This  permission  Stuyvesant  persistent- 
ly refused. 

"  The  Dutch,"  said  the  inflexible  governor, 
"  never  have  forbidden  the  natives  to  trade  with 
other  nations.  They  prohibit  such  trade  only  on 
their  own  streams  and  purchased  lands.  They  can- 
not grant  Massachusetts  or  any  other  government 
any  title  to  such  privilege  or  a  free  passage  through 
their  rivers,  without  the  surrender  of  their  honor, 
reputation,  property  and  blood,  their  bodies  and 
lives." 


CHAPTER  X. 

Hie  Esopus  War. 

Outrage  at  Esopus. — New  Indian  War. — Its  Desolations. — Sufferings 
of  both  Parties. — Wonderful  Energies  of  the  Governor. — Difficul- 
ties of  his  Situation. — The  Truce. — Renewal  of  the  War. — The 
Mohawks. — The  Controversy  with  Massachusetts. — Indian  Ef- 
forts for  Peace. — The  Final  Settlement. — Claims  of  the  English 
upon  the  Delaware. — Renewed  Persecution  of  the  Quakers. 

The  exploring  party  from  Massachusetts,  which 
had  ascended  the  North  river,  found  a  region  around 
the  Wappinger  Kill,  a  few  miles  below  the  present 
site  of  Poughkeepsie,  which  they  pronounced  to  be 
more  beautiful  than  any  spot  which  they  had  seen 
in  New  England.  Here  they  decided  to  establish 
their  settlement.  Stuyvesant,  informed  of  this,  re- 
solved to  anticipate  them.  He  wrote  immediately 
to  Holland  urging  the  Company  to  send  out  at  once 
as  many  Polish,  Lithuanian,  Prussian,  Dutch  and 
Flemish  peasants  as  possible,  "  to  form  a  colony 
there." 

It  would  seem  that  no  experience,  however 
dreadful,  could  dissuade  individuals    of  the    Dutch 


?I4  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

colonists  from  supplying  the  natives  with  brandy. 
At  Esopus,  in  August,  1659,  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Thomas  Chambers  employed  eight  Indians  to  assist 
him  in  husking  corn.  At  the  end  of  their  day's  work 
he  insanely  supplied  them  with  brandy.  This  led  tc 
a  midnight  carouse  in  which  the  poor  savages,  be- 
reft of  reason,  howled  and  shrieked  and  fired  their 
muskets,  though  without  getting  into  any  quarrel 
among  themselves. 

The  uproar  alarmed  the  garrison  in  the  block- 
house. The  sergeant  of  the  guard  was  sent  out, 
with  a  few  soldiers,  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  the  dis- 
order. He  returned  with  the  report  that  it  was 
only  the  revelry  of  a  band  of  drunken  savages. 

One  of  the  soldiers  in  the  fort,  Jansen  Stot,  call- 
ed upon  some  of  his  comrades  to  follow  him.  Ensign 
Smith,  who  was  in  command,  forbade  them  to  go. 
In  defiance  of  his  orders  they  left  the  fort,  and 
creeping  through  the  underbrush,  wantonly  took  de- 
liberate aim,  discharged  a  volley  of  bullets  upon  the 
inebriated  savages,  who  were  harming  nobody  but 
themselves.  One  was  killed  outright.  Others  were 
severely  wounded.  The  soldiers,  having  perform- 
ed this  insane  act,  retreated,  with  the  utmost 
speed  to  the  fort.  There  never  has  been  any  denial 
that  such  were  the  facts  in  the  case.  They  help  to 
corroborate  the  remark  of  Mr.  Moulton  that   "the 


THE  ESOIUS  WAR.  215 

cruelty  of  the  Indians  towards  the  whites  will,  when 
traced,  be  discovered,  in  almost  every  case,  to  have 
been  provoked  by  oppression  or  aggression." 

Ensign  Smith,  finding  that  he  could  no  longer 
control  his  soldiers,  indignantly  resolved  to  return 
down  the  river  to  New  Amsterdam.  The  inhabi- 
tants of  Esopus  were  greatly  alarmed.  It  was  well 
known  that  the  savages  would  not  allow  such  an 
outrage  to  pass  unavenged.  The  withdrawal  of  the 
soldiers  would  leave  them  at  the  mercy  of  those  so 
justly  exasperated.  To  prevent  this  the  people 
hired  every  boat  in  the  neighborhood.  Ensign  Smith 
then  decided  to  send  an  express  by  land,  to  inform 
Governor  Stuyvesant  of  the  alarming  state  of  affairs 
and  to  solicit  his  immediate  presence. 

A  party  of  soldiers  was  sent  to  escort  the  express 
a  few  miles  down  the  river  banks.  As  these  sol- 
diers were  returning,  they  fell  into  an  ambuscade  of 
the  Indians,  and  thirteen  of  them  were  taken  prison- 
ers. War,  horrible  war,  was  now  declared.  The 
war-whoop  resounded  around  the  stockade  at  Eso- 
pus from  five  hundred  savage  throats.  Every  house, 
barn  and  corn-stack  within  their  reach  was  burned. 
Cattle  and  horses  were  killed.  The  fort  was  so 
closely  invested  day  and  night  that  not  a  colonist 
could  step  outside  of  the  stockade.  The  Indians, 
foiled  in  all  their  attempts  to  set  fire  to  the  fortress. 


2l6  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

burnt  ten  of  their  prisoners  at  the  stake.  For  three 
weeks  this  fierce  warfare  continued  without  inter 
ruption. 

When  the  tidings  of  this  new  war,  caused  by  so 
dastardly  an  outrage,  reached  Manhattan,  it  created 
a  terrible  panic.  It  could  not  be  doubted  that  all 
the  Indians  would  sympathize  with  their  outraged 
brethren.  The  farmers,  apprehending  immediate 
attack,  fled  from  all  directions,  with  their  families,  to 
the  fort,  abandoning  their  homes,  grain  and  cattle. 
Even  many  villages  on  Long  Island  were  utterly 
deserted. 

The  administrative  energies  of  Governor  Stuyve* 
sant  were  remarkably  developed  on  this  occasion 
In  the  following  terms,  Mr.  O'Callaghan,  in  his 
admirable  history  of  New  Netherland,  describes  the 
difficulties  he  encountered  and  his  mode  of  sur- 
mounting them : 

"Governor  Stuyvesant,  though  laboring  under 
severe  indisposition,  visited  in  person  all  the  adjoin- 
ing villages,  encouraging  the  well-disposed,  stimulat 
ing  the  timid  and  urging  the  farmers  everywhere  t< 
fortify  anc.  defend  their  villages.  He  summoned 
next  the  burgomasters,  schepens,'*  and  officers  of 
the  militia  of  New  Amsterdam,  and  laid  before  them 
the  distressing  situation  of  Esopus.     They  proposed 

*  Officers  of  a  very  important  municipal  court. 


THE  ESOPUS  WAR.  217 

to  enlist  by  beat  of  drum,  a  sufficient  number  of 
men,  and  to  encourage  volunteers  by  resolving  that 
whatever  savages  might  be  captured  should  be 
declared  '  good  prizes.' 

"  Stuyvesant,  however,  was  opposed  to  this  mode 
of  proceeding.  It  would  cause,  in  his  opinion,  too 
great  a  delay,  as  those  at  Esopus  were  already 
besieged  some  nine  or  ten  days.  He  was  left,  not- 
withstanding, in  a  minority.  Two  more  days  were 
thus  irretrievably  lost ;  for  at  the  end  of  that  time 
only  six  or  eight  had  enlisted, '  such  a  terrible  horror 
had  overpowered  the  citizens.' 

"  Captain  Newton  and  Lieutenant  Stillwell  were 
now  dispatched  to  all  the  English  and  Dutch  villa- 
ges, and  letters  were  addressed  to  fort  Orange  and 
Rensselaerswyck,  ordering  out  the  Company's  ser- 
vants, calling  for  volunteers  and  authorizing  the 
raising  of  a  troop  of  mounted  rangers.  The  half- 
dozen  servants  in  fort  Amsterdam,  every  person 
belonging  to  the  artillery,  all  the  clerks  in  the  public 
offices,  four  of  the  Director-General's  servants,  three 
of  the  hands  belonging  to  his  brewery  and  five  or 
six  new  comers,  were  put  under  requisition. 

Nothing  could  overcome  the  reluctance  of  the 

burghers.     The    one   disheartened   the  other;    the 

more  violent  maintaining  that  they  were  obliged  to 

defend  only  their  own  homes,  and  that  no  citizen 

10 


21 8  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

could  be  forced  to  jeopardize  his  life  in  fighting  bar- 
barous savages. 

"  Discouraged  and  almost  deprived  of  hope  by 
this  opposition,  the  Director-General  again  sum- 
moned the  city  magistrates.  He  informed  them  that 
he  had  now  some  forty  men,  and  that  he  expected 
between  twenty  and  thirty  Englishmen  from  the 
adjoining  villages.  He  therefore  ordered  that  the 
three  companies  of  the  city  militia  be  paraded  next 
day  in  his  presence,  armed  and  equipped,  in  order 
that  one  last  effort  might  be  made  to  obtain  volun- 
teers. If  he  should  then  fail  of  success,  he  an- 
nounced his  intention  to  make  a  draft. 

"  The  companies  paraded  before  the  fort  on  the 
following  morning  according  to  orders.  Stuyvesant 
addressed  them  in  most  exciting  terms.  He  ap- 
pealed to  their  sense  both  of  honor  and  of  duty,  and 
represented  to  them  how  ardently  they  would  look 
for  aid,  if  they  unfortunately  were  placed  in  a  situa- 
tion similar  to  that  in  which  their  brethren  of  Esopus 
now  found  themselves.  He  concluded  his  harangue 
by  calling  upon  all  such  as  would  accompany  him 
either  for  pay  or  as  volunteers,  to  step  forward  to 
the  rescue. 

"  Few  came  forward,  only  twenty-four  or  twenty- 
five  persons.  This  number  being  considered  insuffi- 
cient lots  were  immediately  ordered  to  be  drawn  by 


THE  ESOPUS  WAR  219 

one  of  the  companies  and  those  on  whom  they  fell 
were  warned  to  be  ready  on  the  next  Sunday,  on 
pain  of  paying  fifty  guilders.  *  However,'  said  the 
governor,  '  if  any  person  is  weak-hearted  or  dis- 
couraged he  may  procure  a  substitute  provided  he 
declares  himself  instantaneously.' " 

In  this  way  the  governor  raised  a  force  of  one 
hundred  and  eighty  men.  Of  this  number  one  hun- 
dred were  drafted  men,  sixty-five  volunteers,  twenty- 
five  of  whom  were  Englishmen,  and  there  were  also 
twenty  friendly  Indians  from  Long  Island. 

With  this  force  the  governor  embarked  on  Sun- 
day evening,  October  10th,  after  the  second  sermon, 
for  the  rescue  of  Esopus.  Upon  his  arrival  at  that 
place  he  found  that  the  savages,  unable  to  penetrate 
the  fort,  had  raised  the  siege  and  retired  beyond  the 
possibility  of  pursuit.  They  had  doubtless  watched 
the  river  with  their  scouts,  who  informed  them 
of  the  approach  of  the  troops.  The  governor, 
leaving  a  sufficient  force  to  protect  the  village, 
returned  with  the  remainder  of  the  expedition  to 
Manhattan. 

During  the  siege  the  loss  of  the  Dutch  was  one 
man  killed  and  five  or  six  wounded.  The  Indians 
also  succeeded,  by  means  of  burning  arrows,  in  firing 
one  dwelling  house  and  several  stacks  of  corn  within 
the  palisades.     As  the  troops  were  re-embarking  the 


220  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

governor  witnessed  an  occurrence  which  he  declares 
lt  he  blushes  to  mention."  As  all  the  troops  could 
not  go  on  board  at  once,  a  portion  waited  until  the 
first  division  had  embarked.  Some  of  the  sentinels 
hearing  a  dog  bark,  fired  one  or  two  shots.  This 
created  a  terrible  panic.  The  citizens,  whose  ears 
had  been  pierced  by  the  shrieks  of  their  countrymen, 
whom  the  Indians  had  tortured  at  the  stake,  were 
so  terror-stricken  that  they  lost  all  self-possession. 
"  Many  of  them  threw  themselves  into  the  water 
before  they  had  seen  an  enemy." 

The  most  friendly  relations  existed  between  the 
Mohawks  and  the  settlers  in  the  vicinity  of  Albany. 
A  very  extensive  trade,  equally  lucrative  to  both 
parties,  was  there  in  operation.  The  Indians,  being 
treated  justly,  were  as  harmless  as  lambs.  When 
they  heard  of  the  troubles  at  Esopus  they  declared 
that  they  would  take  no  part  in  the  war.  They 
could  not  but  feel  that  the  Indians  had  been  deeply 
outraged.  But  with  unexpected  intelligence  they 
decided  that  they  would  not  retaliate  by  wreaking 
vengeance  upon  their  long-tried  friends.  To  con- 
firm their  friendly  alliance,  the  authorities  at  fort 
Orange  sent  an  embassy  of  twenty-five  of  their 
principal  inhabitants  to  the  Indian  settlement  at 
Caughnawaga.  This  was  about  forty  miles  west  ot 
Albany  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Mohawk  river  and 


THE  ESOPUS  WAR.  221 

near  the  site  of  the  present  shire  town  of  Mont- 
gomery county. 

A  large  number  of  chiefs,  from  all  the  neighbor- 
ing villages,  attended.  The  council  fire  was  light- 
ed, and  the  calumet  of  peace  was  smoked.  One  of 
the  Dutch  delegation  thus  addressed  the  assembly! 

"  Brothers,  sixteen  years  have  now  passed  away, 
since  friendship  and  fraternity  were  first  established 
between  you  and  the  Hollanders.  Since  then  we 
have  been  bound  to  each  other  by  an  iron  chain. 
That  chain  has  never  been  broken  by  us  or  by  you. 
We  hope  that  the  Mohawks  will  remain  our  broth- 
ers for  all  time. 

"  Our  chiefs  are  very  angry  that  the  Dutch  will 
sell  brandy  to  your  people.  They  have  always  for- 
bidden them  to  do  so.  Forbid  your  people  also. 
Eighteen  days  ago  you  asked  us  not  to  sell  any 
brandy  to  your  people.  Brothers,  if  your  people  do 
not  come  to  buy  brandy  of  us,  we  shall  not  sell  any 
to  them.  Two  days  ago  twenty  or  thirty  kegs 
came  to  us,  all  to  be  filled  with  brandy.  Are  you 
willing  that  we  should  take  from  your  people  their 
brandy  and  their  kegs.  If  so,  say  this  before  all 
here  present." 

With  this  speech  there  was  presented  to  the 
chiefs  several  bu.idles  of  wampum,  seventy  pounds 
of  powder,  a  hundred  pounds   of  lead,  fifteen  axes 


222  PETER  STUYVESANT 

two  beavers  worth  of  knives.  The  chiefs  were 
highly  pleased  with  the  presents  and  eagerly  gave 
their  consent  that  the  Dutch  should  seize  the  liquor 
kegs  of  the  Indians. 

The  authorities  at  fort  Orange,  having  secured 
the  friendship  of  the  Mohawks,  endeavored  to  obtain 
an  armistice  with  the  Indians  at  Esopus,  and  a  re- 
lease of  the  captives  they  had  taken.  Several  Mo- 
hawk and  Mohegan  chiefs,  as  mediators,  visited 
Esopus,  on  this  mission  of  mercy.  They  were  par- 
tially successful.  An  armistice  was  reluctantly  as- 
sented to,  and  two  captives  were  liberated.  The 
Indians,  however,  still  retained  a  number  of  chil- 
dren, they  having  killed  all  the  adults.  Those  who 
had  agreed  to  the  armistice  were  not  the  principal 
chiefs,  and  the  spirit  of  the  war  remained  unbroken. 

Under  these  circumstances  Stuyvesant  wrote  to 
Holland  for  aid.  In  his  letter  he  said,  "  If  a  farmer 
cannot  plough,  sow  or  reap,  in  a  newly  settled 
country,  without  being  harassed  ;  if  the  citizens  and 
merchants  cannot  freely  navigate  the  streams  and 
rivers,  they  will  doubtless  leave  the  country  and 
seek  a  residence  in  some  place  where  they  can  find 
a  government  to  protect  them." 

The  Directors  wrote  back  urging  him  to  employ 
the  Mohawks  and  other  friendly  tribes  against  the 
Esopus  Indians     The  governor  replied, 


THE  ESOPUS  WAR.  223 

"  The  Mohawks  are,  above  all  other  savages,  a 
vain-glorious,  proud  and  bold  tribe.  If  their  aid 
be  demandea  and  obtained,  and  success  follow, 
they  will  only  become  the  more  inflated,  and  we 
the  more  contemptible  in  the  eyes  of  the  other 
tribes.  If  we  did  not  then  reward  their  services,  in 
a  manner  satisfactory  to  their  greedy  appetites, 
they  would  incessantly  revile  us,  and  were  this 
retorted,  it  might  lead  to  collision.  It  is  therefore 
safer  to  stand  on  our  own  feet  as  long  as  pos- 
sible." 

The  governor  had  a  long  controversy  with  the 
Massachusetts  authorities  in  reference  to  its  claim 
to  the  upper  valley  of  the  Hudson.  In  this  he  ex- 
pressed very  strongly  the  title  of  Holland  to  the 
North  river. 

"  Printed  histories,"  he  writes,  "archives,  journals, 
and  registers  prove  that  the  North  river  of  New 
Netherland  was  discovered  in  the  year  1609,  by 
Hendrick  Hudson,  captain  of  the  Half  Moon,  in  the 
service  and  at  the  expense  of  the  Dutch  East  India 
Company.  Upon  the  report  of  the  captain  several 
merchants  of  Amsterdam  sent  another  ship,  in  the 
following  year,  up  the  said  river.  These  merchants 
obtained  from  the  States-General  a  charter  to  navi- 
gate the  same.  For  their  security  they  erected  in 
1614,  a   fort    on   Castle    Island,   near   fort    Orange. 


224  TKTER   STUYVESANT. 

New  Netherland,  including  the  North  river,  was  af- 
terwards offered  to  the  West  India  Company,  who, 
in  the  year  1624,  two  years  before  Charles  I.  as- 
cended the  throne  of  England,  actually  and  effectu- 
ally possessed  and  fortified  the  country  and  planted 
colonies  therein.  The  assertion  that  the  Hudson 
river  is  within  the  Massachusetts  patent  granted  but 
thirty-two  years  ago,  therefore,  scarcely  deserves  a 
serious  answer." 

Notwithstanding  the  undeniable  strength  of  his 
argument,  Governor  Stuyvesant  felt  very  uneasy 
To  his  friends  he  said, 

14  The  power  of  New  England  overbalances  ours 
tenfold.  To  protest  against  their  usurpations  would 
be  folly.     They  would  only  laugh  at  us.'' 

As  hostilities  still  continued  with  the  Esopus 
Indians,  Governor  Stuyvesant  again  visited  that  post, 
hoping  to  obtain  an  interview  with  the  chiefs,  and 
to  arrange  a  peace.  Ensign  Smith,  with  a  very 
strong  party  of  forty  men,  had  utterly  routed  and 
put  to  flight  two  bands  of  Indians,  one  containing 
fifty  warriors,  the  other  one  hundred.  He  tool: 
twelve  warriors  prisoners.  They  were  sent  to  fort 
Amsterdam.  In  the  mean  time  Stuyvesant  nad 
succeeded  in  renewing  a  treaty  of  alliance  with  the 
Indian  tribes  on  Long  Island,  Staten  Island,  and  at 
Hackensack,  Haverstraw  and  Weckquaesgeek.     The 


THE  ESOPUS  WAR.  225 

Long  Island  Indians  consented  to  send  some  of  their 
children  to  fort  Amsterdam  to  be  educated. 

The  Esopus  Indians  were  now  left  in  a  very  de- 
plorable condition.  Their  brethren,  on  the  upper 
Hudson,  had  refused  to  co-operate  with  them* 
Their  routed  bands  were  being"  driven  across  the 
mountains  and  many  of  their  warriors  were  captives. 
To  use  the  contemptuous  language  of  the  times, 
u  they  did  nothing  now  but  bawl  for  peace,  peace.'' 

There  had  never  been  a  more  favorable  oppor- 
tunity to  secure  a  lasting  peace,  and  to  win  back  the 
affections  of  the  Indians.  By  universal  admission 
the  colonists  were  outrageously  in  the  wrong  in  pro- 
voking the  conflict.  They  had  given  the  Indians 
brandy  until  they  had  become  intoxicated.  And 
then  half  a  dozen  drunken  soldiers  had  discharged 
a  volley  of  bullets  upon  them  as  they  were  revelling 
in  noisy  but  harmless  orgies. 

Had  the  governor  frankly  acknowledged  that  the 
colonists  were  in  the  wrong ;  had  he  made  full 
amends,  according  to  the  Indian  custom,  for  the 
great  injury  inflicted  upon  them,  they  would  have 
been  more  than  satisfied.  Even  more  friendly  rela- 
tions than  had  ever  before  existed  might  have  been 
established. 

But  instead  of  this  the  governor  assumed  that 
the  Indians  were  entirely  in  the  wrong;  that  they 
10* 


226  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

had  wantonly  commenced  a  series  of  murders  and 
burnings  without  any  provocation.  The  Esopus 
chiefs  were  afraid  to  meet  the  angry  governor  with 
proposals  for  peace.  They  therefore  employed  three 
Mohegan  chiefs  as  their  mediators.  They  offered 
to  cease  all  hostilities,  to  abandon  the  Esopus  coun- 
try entirely,  and  surrender  it  to  the  Dutch  if  the 
Indian  captives,  whom  the  Dutch  held,  might  be  re- 
stored to  them.  These  very  honorable  proposals 
were  rejected.  The  Mohegan  chiefs  were  told  that 
the  governor  could  not  enter  into  any  treaty  of 
peace  with  the  Esopus  Indians  unless  their  own 
chiefs  came  to  fort  Amsterdam  to  hold  a  council. 
And  immediately  the  Indian  captives  received  the 
awful  doom  of  consignment  to  life-long  slavery  with 
the  negroes,  upon  a  tropical  island,  which  was  but 
a  glowing  sandbank  in  the  Caribbean  sea. 

"  On  the  next  day,"  writes  Mr.  O'Callaghan,  "  an 
order  was  issued,  banishing  the  Esopus  savages,  some 
fifteen  or  twenty,  to  the  insalubrious  climate  of 
Curacoa,  to  be  employed  there  or  at  Buenaire  with 
the  negroes  in  the  Company's  service.  Two  or  thiec 
others  were  retained  at  fort  Amsterdam  to  be  pun 
ished  as  it  should  be  thought  proper.  By  this  harsh 
policy  Stuyvesant  laid  the  foundations  of  another 
Esopus  war,  for  the  Indians  never  forgot  their 
banished  brethren." 


THE   ESOPUS  WAR.  227 

It  was  ascertained  that  several  miles  up  the 
Esopus  creek  the  Indians  were  planting  corn.  It 
was  the  20th  of  May,  1660.  Ensign  Smith  took  a 
party  of  seventy-five  men  and  advanced  upon  them. 
The  barking  of  dogs  announced  his  approach  just  as 
his  band  arrived  within  sight  of  the  wigwams. 
They  all  made  good  their  retreat  with  the  exception 
of  one,  the  oldest  and  best  of  their  chiefs.  His 
name  was  Preumaker.  We  know  not  whether  pride 
of  character  or  infirmity  prevented  his  escape.  It  is 
said,  however,  that  he  received  the  soldiers  very 
haughtily,  aiming  his  gun  at  them  and  saying, 
"What  are  you  doing  here,  you  dogs?'' 

The  weapon  was  easily  wrenched  from  his  feeble 
hands.  A  consultation  was  held  as  to  what  should 
be  done  with  the  courageous  but  powerless  old  chief. 
"As  it  was  a  considerable  distance  to  carry  him/' 
writes  Ensign  Smith,  "we  struck  him  down  with 
his  own  axe." 

At  length  the  sufferings  of  the  Esopus  Indians 
became  so  great  from  the  burning  of  the  villages 
and  the  trampling  down  of  their  cornfields,  the  loss 
of  their  armies  and  the  terrified  flight  of  their  starv- 
ing women  and  children,  that  they  were  constrained 
to  make  another  effort  for  peace. 

On  the  nth  of  July,  Governor  Stuyvesant  left 
New  Amsterdam  for  Esopus.     Messengers  were  dis- 


228  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

patched  to  summon  the  Esopus  chiefs  to  his 
presence.  Appalled  by  the  fate  of  their  brethren, 
who  had  been  sent  as  slaves  to  the  West  Indies,  they 
were  afraid  to  come.  After  waiting  several  days  the 
governor  sent  envoys  to  the  chiefs  of  other  tribes, 
urging  them  "  to  bring  the  Esopus  savages  to  terms/' 

At  length  four  Esopus  chiefs  appeared  before  the 
gate  of  the  village.  Delegates  from  other  tribes 
also  appeared,  and  a  grand  council  was  held.  It  is 
very  evident  from  this  interview,  that  many  of  the 
more  delicate  feelings  of  the  civilized  man  had  full 
sway  in  the  hearts  of  these  poor  Indians.  Instead 
of  imploring  peace  themselves,  the  Esopus  Indians 
employed  two  chiefs,  one  of  the  Mohawk  and  the 
other  of  the  Mingua  tribe,  to  make  the  proposition 
in  their  behalf. 

Governor  Stuyvesant  assented  to  peace  upon 
condition  that  the  Mohawks  and  the  Minguas  would 
stand  as  security  for  the  faithful  observance  of  the 
terms  exacted.  The  chiefs  of  these  tribes  agreeing 
to  this,  in  a  formal  speech  admonished  the  Esopus 
chiefs  to  live  with  the  Dutch  as  brothers.  And 
then,  turning  to  the  Dutch,  in  a-  speech  equally 
impressive,  they  warned  them  not  to  irritate  the 
Indians  by  unjust  treatment.  The  Indians  were 
compelled  to  yield  to  such  terms  as  Stuyvesant  pro- 
posed. 


THE  ESOPUS  WAR.  229 

All  the  lands  of  Esopus  were  surrendered  to  the 
Dutch.  The  starving  Indians  were  to  receive  eight 
hundred  schepels  of  corn  as  ransom  for  the  captive 
christians.  The  Indian  warriors  sent  as  slaves  to  the 
West  Indies,  were  to  be  left  to  their  awful  fate. 
The  mediators  were  held  responsible  for  the  faithful 
execution  of  the  treaty.  Should  the  Esopus  Indians 
break  it,  the  mediators  were  bound  to  assist  the 
Dutch  in  punishing  them.  No  spirituous  liquors 
were  to  be  drank  near  the  houses  of  the  Dutch.  No 
armed  Indians  to  approach  a  Dutch  plantation. 
Murderers  were  to  be  mutually  surrendered,  and 
damages  reciprocally  paid  for. 

Thus  were  the  Esopus  Indians  driven  from  their 
homes,  deprived  of  their  independence  and  virtually 
ruined.  Having  thus  triumphantly  though  cruelly 
settled  this  difficulty,  Stuyvesant  went  up  to  fort 
Orange,  where  he  held  another  grand  council  with 
the  chiefs  of  all  the  tribes  in  those  regions. 

A  clergyman  was  sent  to  Esopus  and  a  church 
organized  of  sixteen  members.  In  September,  1660, 
Domine  Selyus  was  installed  as  the  clergyman  of 
Brooklyn,  where  he  found  one  elder,  two  deacons  and 
twenty-four  church  members.  There  were,  at  that 
time  thirty-one  families  in  Brooklyn,  containing  a 
population  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-four  persons. 
They  had  no  church  but  worshipped  in  a  barn.    Gov- 


230  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

ernor  Stuyvesant  contributed  nearly  eighty  dollars 
annually  to  the  support  of  this  minister,  but  upon 
condition  that  he  should  preach  every  Sunday  after- 
noon, at  his  farm  or  bouwery  upon  Manhattan  Isl- 
and. 

The  last  of  May,  Charles  the  Second,  the  fugitive 
King  of  England,  was  returning  from  his  wanderings 
on  the  continent  to  ascend  the  throne  of  his  ances- 
tors. He  was  a  weak  man,  of  imperturbable  good 
nature.  On  his  way  to  London  he  stopped  at  the 
Hague,  where  he  was  magnificently  entertained.  Ir 
taking  leave  of  the  States-General  he  was  lavish  of 
his  expressions  of  friendship.  He  declared  that  he 
should  feel  jealous  should  the  Dutch  prefer  the 
friendship  of  any  other  state  to  that  of  Great  Brit- 
ain. 

At  that  time  Holland  was  in  commercial  entei- 
prise,  the  most  prosperous  nation  upon  the  globe  ; 
decidedly  in  advance  of  England.  The  British  par- 
liament  envied  Holland  her  commercial  supremacy. 
"  The  Convention  Parliament,"  writes  Mr.  Brodhead, 
"which  had  called  home  the  king,  took  early  steps  to 
render  still  more  obnoxious  one  of  England's  most 
selfish  measures.  The  Navigation  Act  of  165 1  was 
revised  ;  and  it  was  now  enacted  that  after  the  first 
day  of  December,  1660,  no  merchandise  should  be 
imported  into,  or  exported  from  any  of  his  majesty's 


THE   ESCPUS  WAR.  23 1 

plantations  or  territories  in  Asia,  Africa  or  America, 
except  in  English  vessels  of  which  the  master  and 
three-fourths  of  the  mariners  at  least  are  English.*' 

Immediately  after  this,  Lord  Baltimore  demand- 
ed the  surrender  of  New  Amstel  and  all  the  lands 
on  the  west  side  of  Delaware  bay.  u  All  the  coun- 
try," it  was  said  by  his  envoy,  "  up  to  the  fortieth 
degree,  was  granted  to  Lord  Baltimore.  The  grant 
has  been  confirmed  by  the  king  and  sanctioned  by 
parliament.  You  are  weak,  we  are  strong,  you  had 
better  yield  at  once."  • 

A  very  earnest  and  prolonged  discussion  ensued. 
The  Dutch  Company  said,  "  We  hold  our  rights  by 
the  States-General.  We  are  resolved  to  defend 
those  rights.  If  Lord  Baltimore  will  persevere  and 
resort  to  violent  measures,  we  shall  use  all  the  means 
which  God  and  nature  have  given  us  to  protect  the 
inhabitants  and  preserve  their  possessions." 

This  was  indeed  an  alarming  state  of  affairs  for 
New  Amstel.  Various  disasters  had  befallen  the 
colony,  so  that  it  now  numbered  but  thirty  families. 
The  garrison  had  been  reduced,  by  desertion,  to 
twenty-five  men  ;  and  of  these  but  eight  or  ten  were 
in  the  principal  fort.  The  English  were  in  such 
strength  upon  the  Chesapeake,  that  they  could  easi- 
ly send  five  hundred  men  to  the  Delaware.  Very 
samest  diplomatic  intercourse  was  opened  between 


232  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

the  States-General  and  the  British  Parliament  upon 
these  questions. 

Governor  Stuyvesant,  whose  attention  had  been 
somewhat  engrossed  by  the  Indian  difficulties,  now 
renewed  his  persecution  of  the  Quakers.  Notwith- 
standing the  law  against  private  conventicles,  Henry 
Townsend  at  Rustdorp,  who  had  been  already  twice 
fined,  persisted  in  holding  private  meetings  in  his 
house.  He  was  arrested  with  two  others,  and  car- 
ried to  fort  Amsterdam.  Townsend  and  Tilton 
were  banished  from  the  colony.  Two  magistrates 
were  appointed  as  spies  to  inform  of  any  future 
meetings,  and  some  soldiers  were  stationed  in  the 
village  to  suppress  them.  Whatever  Governor  Stuy- 
vesant undertook  to  do  he  accomplished  very  thor- 
oughly. The  following  paper  was  drawn  up  which 
the  inhabitants  were  required  to  sign : 

4  If  any  meetings  or  conventicles  of  Quakers 
shall  be  held  in  this  town  of  Rustdorp,  that  we 
know  of,  we  will  give  information  to  the  authority 
set  up  by  the  governor,  and  we  will  also  give  the 
authorities  of  the  town  such  assistance  against  any 
such  persons  as  needs  may  require." 

A  few  refused  to  sign  this  paper.  They  were 
punished  by  having  the  soldiers  quartered  upon 
thtm. 

Fort  Orange  was,  at  this  time,  the  extreme  fron- 


THE  ESOPUS  WAR.  233 

tier  post,  in  the  north  and  west  of  New  Netherland. 
Though  the  country  along  the  Mohawk  river  had 
been  explored  for  a  considerable  distance,  there  were 
no  settlements  there,  though  one  or  two  huts  had 
been  reared  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Cohoes  Falls. 
This  whole  region  had  abounded  with  beavers 
and  wild  deer.  But  the  fur  trade  had  been  pushed 
with  so  much  vigor  that  the  country  was  now  almost 
entirely  destitute  of  peltries.  The  colonists  wished 
to  purchase  the  fertile  lands  in  the  valley  of  the  Mo- 
hawk, and  the  Indians  manifested  a  willingness  to 
sell  them. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

The  Disastrous  Year. 

Purchase  of  Staten  Island. — The   Restoration  cf  Charles  Second 

Emigrtaion  Invited. — Settlement  of  Bushwick. — The  Peculiar 
People. — Persecution  of  John  Bowne. — The  Governor  Rebuked. 
— Cumulation  of  Disasters. —  The  Outbreak  at  Esopus. — The 
Panic. — Measures  of  the  Governor. — The  Indian  Fort. — The 
expedition  to  Mamaket. — Capture  of  the  Fort. — Annihilation  of 
the  Esopus  Indians. 

In  the  year  1661,  the  Company  purchased  of 
Melyn,  the  patroon,  for  about  five  hundred  dollars, 
all  his  rights  to  lands  on  Staten  Island.  Thus  the 
whole  island  became  the  property  of  the  Company. 
Grants  of  lands  were  immediately  issued  to  individ- 
uals. The  Waldenses,  and  the  Huguenots  from 
Rochelle  in  France,  were  invited  to  settle  upon  the 
island.  A  block-house  was  built  which  was  armed 
with  two  cannon  and  garrisoned  by  ten  soldiers. 
Fourteen  families  were  soon  gathered  in  a  little 
settlement  south  of  the  Narrows. 

Upon  the  restoration  of  Charles  the  Second,  in 
England,  the  Royalists  and  churchmen  insisted  upon 
the  restoration  of  the  hierarchy.     The  Restoration 


THE   DISASTROUS    YEAR.  235 

was  far  from  being  the  unanimous  act  of  the  nation. 
The  republicans  and  dissenters,  disappointed  and 
persecuted,  were  disposed  in  ever  increasing  num- 
bers, to  take  refuge  in  the  New  World.  The  West 
India  Company  of  Holland  being  in  possession  of 
a  vast  territory,  between  the  Hudson  and  the  Dela- 
ware, which  was  quite  uninhabited,  save  by  a  few 
tribes  of  Indians,  availed  themselves  of  this  oppor- 
tunity to  endeavor  to  draw  emigrants  from  all  parts 
of  Europe,  and  especially  from  England,  to  form 
settlements  upon  their  lands. 

They  issued  proclamations  inviting  settlers  and 
offering  them  large  inducements.  The  country, 
which  embraced  mainly  what  is  now  New  Jersey, 
was  described  in  glowing  terms  as  if  it  were  a  second 
Eden.  And  yet  there  was  no  gross  exaggeration  in 
the  narrative. 

"  This  land,"  they  wrote,  "  is  but  six  weeks'  sail 
from  Holland.  It  is  fertile  in  the  extreme.  The 
climate  serene  and  temperate,  is  the  best  in  the 
world.  The  soil  is  ready  for  the  plough,  and  seed 
can  be  committed  to  it  with  scarcely  any  prepara- 
tion. The  most  valuable  timber  is  abundant.  The 
forest  presents  in  profusion,  nuts  and  wild  fruit  of 
every  description.  The  richest  furs  can  be  obtained 
without  trouble.  Deer,  turkeys,  pigeons  and  almost 
every  variety  of  wild  game,  are  found  in  the  woods 


236  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

And  there  is  every  encouragement  for  the  establish- 
ment  of  fisheries." 

Having  presented  this  view  of  the  region,  to 
which  emigrants  were  invited,  and  having  also  an- 
nounced an  exceedingly  attractive  charter  of  civil 
and  religious  privileges  which  would  be  granted 
them,  in  the  following  terms  the  invitation  to  emi- 
grate was  urged : 

"  Therefore  if  any  of  the  good  christians,  who 
may  be  assured  of  the  advantages  to  mankind  of 
plantations  in  these  latitudes,  shall  be  disposed  to 
transport  themselves  to  said  place,  they  shall  have 
full  liberty  to  live  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord  upon  the 
aforesaid  good  conditions  and  shall  be  likewise 
courteously  used. 

u  We  grant  to  all  christian  people  of  tender  con- 
science, in  England  or  elsewhere  oppressed,  full 
liberty  to  erect  a  colony  between  New  England  and 
Virginia  in  America,  now  within  the  jurisdiction  of 
Peter  Stuyvesant." 

Twenty-three  families,  most  of  them  French, 
established  a  settlement  on  Long  Island,  at  the  place 
now  called  Bushwick.  The  village  grew  rapidly  and 
in  two  years  had  forty  men  able  to  bear  arms. 

The  proclamation  issued  by  the  Company,  in- 
viting emigrants  to  settle  upon  the  lands  between 
the    Hudson   and    the    Delaware,   attracted   much 


THE  DISASTROUS  YEAR.  237 

attention  in  Europe.  Committee?  were  sent  to 
examine  the  lands  which  it  was  proposed  thus  to 
colonize  The  region  between  New  Amstel  and 
Cape  Henlopen,  being  quite  unoccupied,  attracted 
much  attention.  A  company,  the  members  of  which 
may  be  truly  called  a  peculiar  people,  decided  to 
settle  there.  An  extraordinary  document  was  drawn 
up,  consisting  of  one  hundred  and  seventeen  articles 
for  the  government  of  the  association.  In  this 
singular  agreement  it  is  written  : 

"The  associates  are  to  be  either  married  men  or 
single  men  twenty-four  years  old,  who  are  free  from 
debt.  Each  one  is  bound  to  obey  the  ordinances 
of  the  society  and  not  to  seek  his  own  advancement 
over  any  other  member.  No  clergyman  is  to  be 
admitted  into  the  society.  Religious  services  are  to 
be  as  simple  as  possible.  Every  Sunday  and  holiday 
the  people  are  to  assemble,  sing  a  Psalm  and  listen 
to  a  chapter  from  the  Bible,  to  be  read  by  one  of 
the  members  in  rotation.  After  this  another  Psalm 
is  to  be  sung.  At  the  end  of  these  exercises  the 
court  shall  be  opened  for  public  business.  The 
object  of  the  association  being  to  establish  a  harmo- 
nious society  of  persons  of  different  religious  senti- 
ments, all  intractable  people  shall  be  excluded  from 
it,  such  as  those  in  communion  with  the  Roman  See 
usurious  Jews,  English  stiff-necked  Quakers,  Puri« 


238  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

tans,    fool-hardy    believers    in    the    Millenium   and 
obstinate  modern  pretenders  to  revelation." 

While  the  Company  in  Holland,  were  inviting 
emigrants  to  their  territory  of  the  New  World, 
with  the  fullest  promises  of  religious  toleration, 
their  governor,  Stuyvesant,  was  unrelentingly  per- 
secuting all  who  did  not  sustain  the  established 
religion. 

A  very  quiet,  thoughtful,  inoffensive  man,  John 
Bowne,  an  Englishman,  moved  from  Boston  to  Flush- 
ing. He  was  a  plain  farmer,  very  retiring  in  his 
habits  and  a  man  of  but  few  words.  From  curiosity 
he  attended  a  Quaker  meeting.  His  meditative 
spirit  was  peculiarly  impressed  with  the  simplicity  of 
their  worship.  He  invited  them  to  his  house,  and 
soon  joined  their  society.  The  magistrates  inform- 
ed Stuyvesant  that  John  Bowne's  house  had  be- 
come a  conventicle  for  Quakers.  Being  arrested, 
he  did  not  deny  the  charge,  and  was  fined  twenty- 
five  pounds  and  threatened  with  banishment. 

The  next  week  a  new  proclamation  was  issued, 
saying,  "  The  public  exercise  of  any  religion  but  the 
Reformed,  in  houses,  barns,  ships,  woods  or  fields,  will 
be  punished  by  a  fine  of  fifty  guilders  ;  double  for  the 
second  offence  ;  and  for  the  third  quadruple  with  ar 
bitrary    correction." 

John  Bowne,  either  unable  or  refusing  to  pay  his 


THE  DISASTROUS  YEAR  239 

fine,  was  taken  to  New  Amsterdam,  where  he  was 
imprisoned  for  three  months.  An  order  was  then 
issued  announcing  his  banishment. 

u  For  the  welfare/'  it  was  written,  "  of  the  com- 
munity, and  to  crush  as  far  as  possible,  that  abomi- 
nable sect  who  treat  with  contempt  both  the  politi- 
cal magistrate,  and  the  ministers  of  God's  holy  word, 
and  who  endeavor  to  undermine  the  police  and  reli- 
gion, John  Bowne  is  to  be  transported  from  this 
province  in  the  first  ship  ready  to  sail,  as  an  exam 
pie  to  others.'' 

He  was  sent  to   Holland  in  the  "  Gilded  Fox." 
Stuyvesant  wrote  to  the  Company,  "  The  contuma 
cious  prisoner  has  been  banished  as  a  terror  to  oth- 
ers who,  if  not  discouraged  by  this  example,  will  be 
dealt  with  still  more  severely." 

The  Company  in  Holland,  was  not  at  all  in  sym- 
pathy with  its  intolerant  governor.  The  exile  was 
received  by  them  respectfully.  The  following  dis- 
patch, condemnatory  of  the  severe  measures  of 
Stuyvesant,  was  forwarded  to  him  : 

"  Although  it  is  our  cordial  desire  that  similar  and 
other  sectarians  may  not  be  found  there,  yet,  as  the 
contrary  seems  to  be  the  fact,  we  doubt  very  much 
whether  vigorous  proceedings  against  them  ought 
not  to  be  discontinued ;  unless  indeed,  you  intend 
to  check  and  destroy  your  population,  which,  in  the 


240  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

youth  of  your  existence,  ought  rather  to  be  encoui» 
aged  by  all  possible  means. 

u  Wherefore  it  is  our  opinion  that  some  conniv 
ance  is  useful,  and  that  at  least  the  consciences  of 
men,  ought  to  remain  free  and  unshackled.  Let  every 
one  remain  free  so  long  as  he  is  modest,  irreproach 
able  in  his  political  conduct,  and  so  long  as  he  does 
not  offend  others  or  oppose  the  government.  This 
maxim  of  moderation  has  always  been  the  guide  of 
our  magistrates  in  this  city.  The  consequence  has 
been  that  people  have  flocked  from  every  land  to 
this  asylum.  Tread  thus  in  their  steps  and  we 
doubt  not  you  will  be  blessed. '' 

From  this  time  persecution  ceased  in  New  Neth- 
erland.  Either  Governor  Stuyvesant  was  convinc- 
ed by  the  argument  in  the  above  dispatch,  or  he 
was  intimidated  by  his  rebuke.  After  two  years  of 
absence  John  Bowne  returned  to  New  Netherland, 
and  it  is  said  that  the  governor  received  him  as 
though  he  were  ashamed  of  what  he  had  done. 

The  year  1663  was  a  year  of  many  disasters. 
Early  in  the  year  an  earthquake  shook  severely  the 
whole  of  New  Netherland  and  of  the  adjacent  re- 
gions. The  melting  of  the  snow  in  the  spring,  and 
the  falling  rains  caused  a  desolating  freshet,  which 
inundated  all  the  meadow  lands  of  the  rivers,  utter- 
ly destroying  the  crops.     This  calamity  was  follow* 


THE  DISASTROUS  YEAR.  24I 

cd  by  the  small-pox,  which  spread  with  a  like  rapidi- 
ty and  fatality  among  the  Europeans  and  the  In- 
dians.  Of  the  Iroquois  Indians  over  a  thousand 
died.  In  addition  to  these  calamities  came,  worst 
of  all,  war  with  its  indescribable  horrors. 

At  Esopus  the  hand  of  industry  had  been  very 
successfully  employed.  Quite  a  crowded  population 
filled  the  houses,  within  the  palisades,  and  the  rap- 
idly increasing  numbers  had  rendered  it  necessary 
to  commence  another  village,  which  was  called 
Wildwyck,  on  a  fertile  plain  at  a  little  distance  from 
the  fort.  Under  the  blessings  of  peace,  wealth  had 
increased.  The  church  numbered  sixty  members. 
Most  of  the  garrison  had  been  withdrawn  as  no 
longer  needed. 

But  the  Indians  could  not  forget  their  brethren 
sent  to  life-long  slavery  at  Curacoa.  It  was  increas- 
ingly evident  that  the  peace,  into  which  they  had 
entered,  was  not  cordial.  It  was  a  compulsory 
peace.  An  unendurable  outrage  had  driven  them 
into  the  war.  And  by  the  terms  of  peace,  while 
they  had  been  compelled  to  return  all  the  captives 
they  held,  fifteen  of  their  warriors  were  doomed  to 
perpetual  slavery. 

Murmurings  were  heard  which  foreboded  an  out- 
break.    Some  of  the  settlers  became  alarmed  and 
communicated  their  fears  to  Governor  Stuyvesant 
11 


242  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

He  sent  word  that  he  would  soon  visit  Esopus,  to 
investigate  the  state  of  affairs.  The  Indian  chiefs, 
hearing  of  this,  returned  the  message,  that  if  he  were 
coming  to  renew  their  treaty  of  friendship  they 
should  expect  him  to  come  unarmed  and  they 
would  be  happy  to  meet  him  in  council,  according 
to  their  custom,  in  the  open  field  outside  of  the 
gate. 

It  was  a  pleasant  morning  of  the  7th  of  June. 
The  governor  had  not  yet  arrived.  The  settlers, 
thrown  off  their  guard  by  the  friendly  message 
which  the  chiefs  had  returned,  were  scattered  about 
in  the  fields  engaged  in  their  daily  avocations.  Be- 
tween eleven  and  twelve  o'clock  at  noon,  an  unusual 
number  of  savages  spread  themselves  through  the 
villages  and  entered  the  dwellings.  They  were  ap- 
parently, as  usual,  entirely  unarmed,  though  it  after- 
wards appeared  that  they  had  concealed  weapons. 
They  brought  corn,  beans,  and  other  trifling  articles 
for  sale. 

Suddenly  the  war-whoop  was  uttered  from  one 
savage  throat  as  a  signal,  and  was  instantly  re-ech- 
oed by  a  hundred  others.  Tomahawks  and  knives 
and  battle-axes  gleamed  in  the  air,  and  the  work  of 
extermination  was  instantly  and  energetically  com- 
menced. The  settlers  were  taken  entirely  by  sur- 
prise.    Every  Indian  had  marked  his  man.     Ncithci 


THE   DISASTROUS   YEAR.  243 

women  nor  children  were  spared.  Those  who  could 
not  easily  be  captured  were  struck  down.  Many 
of  the  Indians  speedily  regained  their  guns  which 
they  had  concealed  in  the  grass.  Houses  were 
plundered  and  set  on  fire. 

But  the  colonists  did  not  submit  to  their  fate 
without  valiant  resistance.  For  several  hours  the 
most  deadly  battle  raged.  The  yells  of  the  savages, 
and  the  shrieks  of  wounded  women  and  children, 
devoured  by  the  flames  which  consumed  their  dwell- 
ings, were  awful  beyond  any  power  of  the  pen  to  de- 
scribe. 

Roelof  Swartwout  was  entrusted  with  the  muni- 
cipal government  at  Esopus.  His  office  of  Sellout 
somewhat  resembled  that  of  a  mayor  in  one  of  our 
modern  cities.  He  displayed  much  presence  of  mind 
and  bravery  on  this  occasion.  Rallying  a  few  bold 
men  around  him,  he  at  length  succeeded  in  driving 
the  savages  from  within  the  palisades  and  in  shut- 
ting the  gates.  Several  hours  of  this  awful  conflict 
had  now  passed.  Evening  had  come.  'Devastation, 
ruin,  death  surrounded  them.  The  outer  village 
was  in  ashes.  The  fields  were  strewn  with  the  bod- 
ies of  the  dead.  The  half-burned  corpses  of  women 
and  children  were  to  be  seen  amidst  the  smoking 
cinders  of  their  former  homes. 

The  village  within  the  palisades  had  been  set  on 


244  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

fire.  A  few  houses  had  been  burned,  consuming  the 
mangled  remains  of  those  who  had  fallen  beneath 
the  tomahawk  and  battle-axe  of  the  Indian.  Fortu- 
nately a  change  of  the  wind  had  saved  most  of  the 
village  from  destruction.  Swartwout  and  his  brave 
little  band,  protected  by  the  palisades,  were  able 
through  the  loop-holes,  to  strike  down  any  Indian, 
who  should  appear  within  reach  of  their  bullets. 
They  were  now  safe. 

But  this  awful  storm  of  war,  which  had  passed 
over  their  beautiful  valley  had,  in  three  short  hours 
of  a  summer's  afternoon,  converted  the  whole  scene 
into  a  spectacle  of  almost  unearthly  misery.  Every 
dwelling  outside  of  the  palisades  was  in  ashes. 
Several  within  the  enclosure  were  consumed,  and 
the  charred  bodies  of  the  dead  were  intermingled 
with  the  blackened  timbers.  Twenty-one  of  the 
settlers  had  been  killed  outright.  Nine  were  severe- 
ly wounded.  Forty-five,  mostly  women  and  chil- 
dren, were  taken  captive,  to  be  carried  into  bondage 
more  dreadful  than  death. 

A  night  of  woe  ensued,  during  which  the  yells 
of  the  savages,  in  their  triumphal  orgies  dancing 
around  their  captives,  and  probably  exposing  some 
to  the  torture,  fell  appallingly  upon  the  ears  of  the 
sleepless  survivors  within  the  gates.  Was  this  God's 
allowed    retribution    for   the  crime  of  sending   the 


THE   DISASTROUS   YEAR.  245 

Indians  into  slavery?     It  certainly  was  the  conse 
quence. 

The  intelligence  of  this  dreadful,  calamity  was 
immediately  transmitted  to  Governor  Stuyvesant  at 
New  Amsterdam.  Through  all  the  settlements  the 
tidings  spread,  creating  universal  panic.  Mothers 
and  maidens  turned  pale  as  they  thought  of  another 
Indian  war.  The  farmers  and  their  families,  aban- 
doning everything,  fled  from  all  directions  to  the 
forts  within  their  reach.  Every  able-bodied  man 
was  put  to  work  in  strengthening  the  defences. 

The  governor  promptly  dispatched  forty-two 
well-armed  men  to  Esopus.  Large  bounties  were 
offered  to  all  who  would  enlist.  Forty-six  friendly 
Indians  from  Long  Island  offered  their  services  and 
were  accepted  as  auxiliaries.  Ample  supplies  were 
forwarded  to  the  devastated  village.  Scouting 
parties  were  sent  up  the  river  to  search  out  the 
savages  in  their  hiding-places.  The  Mohawks  inter- 
posed their  friendly  mediation  in  behalf  of  peace, 
and  succeeded  in  recovering  and  restoring  to  the 
Dutch  several  captives. 

They  also  informed  the  governor  that  the  Indians 
had  taken  the  remaining  captives  to  one  of  their 
villages  about  thirty  miles  southwest  of  Esopus,  and 
that  they  refused  to  release  them  unless  the  gov- 
ernor would  send    them  rich  presents  and  make  d 


246  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

peace  without  any  compensation  for  what  had  trans- 
pired at  Esopus.  It  seems  that  the  Indians  regarded 
the  massacre  there  simply  as  the  just  atonement 
which  they  had  exacted  for  the  enslavement  of  their 
brethren,  and  that  now  their  rude  sense  of  justice 
being  satisfied,  they  were  ready  to  enter  into  a  solid 
peace.  But  the  governor  was  not  at  all  disposed  to 
regard  the  matter  in  this  light.  He  deemed  it 
necessary,  under  the  circumstances,  that  the  Indians 
should  feel  the  full  weight  of  the  white  man's  aveng- 
ing hand. 

Just  then  a  woman,  Mrs.  Van  Imbrock,  who  had 
succeeded  in  effecting  her  escape  from  the  Indians, 
reached  Esopus,  having  traversed  the  wilderness 
through  a  thousand  perils.  She  was  a  woman  ol 
great  energy,  intelligent  and  observing,  and  her 
heart  was  bleeding  in  view  of  the  friends  she  had  left 
behind  her  in  captivity.  She  was  eager  to  act  as  a 
guide  to  lead  a  war-party  for  the  rescue  of  her 
friends  in  the  retreat  of  the  savages.  She  estimated 
their  number  at  about  two  hundred  warriors.  They 
occupied  a  square  fort,  very  strongly  built  of  timber. 
And  still  they  adopted  the  precaution  of  sending 
the  prisoners  every  night  under  strong  guard,  to 
some  distant  place  in  the  mountains.  The  Indians 
had  a  very  clear  appreciation  of  the  value  of  theil 
captives  as  hostages. 


THE  DISASTROUS   YEAR.  247 

Governor  Stuyvesant  sent  a  force  of  two  hundred 
and  ten  men,  under  Captain  Crygier,  to  attack 
them.  Forty-one  of  these  were  Indians  and  seven 
were  negroes.  They  took  with  them  two  small 
cannon,  with  which  at  a  safe  distance,  they  could 
soon  open  a  breach  through  the  Indian  ramparts, 
which  were  merely  bullet-proof.  A  garrison  of  about 
seventy  men  was  left  behind  for  the  protection  of 
Esopus. 

At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  26th  of 
July,  this  little  band  commenced  its  march  through 
the  trails  of  the  wilderness,  towards  the  setting  sun. 
The  path  was  a  rugged  one  over  high  hills  and 
across  mountain  streams.  They  had  traversed  but 
a  few  miles  when  night  came  on  and  they  bivouacked 
until  daybreak.  The  next  morning  they  pressed 
forward  with  all  vigor  until  they  were  within  about 
six  miles  of  the  fort.  One  hundred  and  sixteen  men 
were  then  sent  forward  to  attack  the  Indians  by  sur- 
prise, while  the  remainder  prudently  followed  close 
after  as  a  reserve. 

But  the  wary  Indians,  through  their  scouts,  had 
ascertained  the  approach  of  the  foe  and  had  fled 
with  their  prisoners  to  the  mountains.  The  Dutch 
were  astonished  at  the  strength  of  the  fort  and  at  the 
scientific  skill  with  which  it  was  constructed.  The 
Indians  had  evidently  learned  not  a  little  of  military 


e48  PETER  STUYEVSANT. 

art  from  trie  Europeans.  Three  parallel  rows  of 
palisades  enclosed  a  large  square,  with  loopholes 
through  which  unobstructed  aim  could  be  taken  at 
assailants.  Within  the  palisades  there  were  strong 
block-houses,  provided  also  with  loopholes,  to  which 
houses  the  warriors  could  retreat,  as  to  citadels,  in 
case  the  outer  works  were  taken.  Between  the 
houses  and  the  outworks  there  was  a  creek.  The 
whole  fortress  would  have  been  no  disgrace  to  an 
European  engineer. 

The  party  found  very  comfortable  quarters  in 
the  fort  for  the  night,  and  an  ample  supply  of  pro- 
visions. An  Indian  woman,  not  being  aware  that 
the  white  men  were  in  the  fort,  came  back  for  some 
article  she  had  left  behind.  She  was  taken  prisoner 
and  informed  her  captors  of  the  direction  in  which 
the  Indians  had  fled.  As  it  is  necessary  for  such  a 
party  of  two  or  three  hundred,  to  keep  together 
and  as  the  trail  through  meadows,  across  streamlets 
and  over  mountains  is  narrow,  it  is  not  difficult 
having  once  found  their  track  to  follow  it. 

It  was  determined,  after  a  brief  consultation,  to 
pursue  them.  The  next  morning  at  daybreak,  the 
pursuit  was  commenced.  Twenty-five  men  were  left 
to  keep  possession  of  the  fort.  After  several  hours 
of  very  fatiguing  travel,  they  reached  the  spot,  on  a 
high  mountain,  where  the  squaw  supposed  that  the 


THE  DISASTROUS  YEAR.  249 

Indians  had  established  their  camp.  But  not  a» 
Indian  was  there.  They  had  probably  left  their 
spies  on  the  path,  who  had  informed  them  that  the 
foe  was  at  hand. 

The  woman  now  said  that  they  must  have  goiu 
on  to  another  stronghold  they  had,  at  the  distance 
of  about  six  miles.  The  march  was  continued 
through  great  difficulties.  But  it  was  fruitless. 
Not  an  Indian  was  to  be  found.  They  had  another 
stronghold  about  twelve  miles  farther  on.  It  was 
oossible  that  they  might  be  found  there.  But  all 
were  fatigued  and  discouraged,  and  were  disposed  to 
give  up  the  hopeless  chase.  At  one  time  they 
caught  sight  of  nine  savages  in  the  distance,  but 
they  fled  like  deer. 

Captain  Crygier,  deeming  all  further  attempt  to 
overtake  the  savages  hopeless,  decided  to  return  to 
the  Indian  fort.  Having  reached  it,  all  hands  en- 
gaged in  the  work  of  destruction.  The  savages  had 
collected  there  a  large  supply  of  provisions  for  the 
approaching  winter.  The  colonists  took  all  they 
could  carry  away  with  them  and  destroyed  the  rest. 
They  then  utterly  demolished  the  buildings  and 
palisades,  committing  all  to  the  flames.  The  works 
must  have  cost  the  Indians  an  immensity  of  labor. 
There  were  two  hundred  acres  of  corn,  waving  richly 
in  the  summer  breeze,  giving  promise  of  ar»  abun'V 


250  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

ant  harvest.  All  was  trampled  down.  It  was  a 
fearful  calamity  to  the  wretched  Indians.  Probably 
not  a  few  perished  of  famine  the  next  winter.  There 
was  by  no  means  a  sufficient  supply  of  game  in  the 
forest  to  meet  their  wants.  Their  main  reliance 
was  upon  their  cornfields. 

While  they  were  engaged  in  this  work  of  destruc- 
tion four  savages  appeared  upon  a  hill  near  some  of 
the  colonists,  and  cried  out  to  them  "  To-morrow  we 
will  come  and  fight  you,  for  we  must  all  now  die  of 
hunger." 

The  next  morning  the  colonists  commenced  their 
return.  They  showed  their  respect  for  the  prowess 
of  the  savages,  by  forming  their  little  army  in  strong 
military  array,  with  the  advance,  the  centre  and  the 
rear  guard.  At  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  of  Au- 
gust ist,  1663,  they  reached  their  anxious  friends  at 
Esopus,  without  the  loss  of  a  man. 

Ere  long  news  reached  Esopus,  that  the  savages 
were  building  another  fort,  which  they  called  a  cas- 
tle, about  thirty-six  miles  southwest  of  Esopus,  prob- 
ably near  the  present  town  "of  Mamakating,  Sullivan 
county.  An  expedition  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
five  men,  under  Captain  Crygier  was  immediately 
organized  to  destroy  the  works.  A  young  Indian 
guided  the  party.  Several  horses  were  taken  with 
them  to  bring  back  those  who  might  be  wounded. 


THE  DISASTROUS  YEAR.  251 

At  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  September 
third,  the  party  set  out  from  Esopus.  A  march  of 
nine  miles  brought  them  to  a  creek,  which  was  so 
swollen  by  recent  rains,  that  they  were  delayed  for 
several  hours  until  they  could  construct  a  rude 
bridge  across  it.  In  the  meantime  the  rain  was  fall- 
ing in  torrents.  It  was  not  until  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  next  day  that  the  party  effected 
its  passage  across  the  stream.  They  then  pressed 
forward  twelve  miles  farther  and  bivouacked  for  the 
night. 

At  daybreak  they  were  again  upon  the  move, 
and  about  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  emerged 
from  the  forest  in  view  of  the  fort.  It  stood  upon 
an  elevated  plain.  Like  the  one  we  have  already 
described,  it  consisted  of  a  square  enclosure,  sur- 
rounded by  two  rows  of  strong  palisades,  and  a 
third  had  already  been  commenced.  These  posts, 
pointed  at  the  top,  were  firmly  planted  in  the 
ground,  and  were  of  the  thickness  of  a  man's  body 
and  rose  fifteen  feet  into  the  air. 

Captain  Crygier,  after  carefully  scrutinizing  the 
works,  divided  his  force  into  two  sections  for  the 
attack.  He  was  well  aware  that  he  had  a  foe  to  en- 
counter who  would  fight  with  the  utmost  despera- 
tion behind  his  intrenchments.  One  party  of  the 
assailants  crept  cautiously  along,  beneath  the  covert 


252  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

of  a  hill,  until,  coming  to  the  open  plain,  they  were 
discovered  by  a  squaw,  who  uttered  a  terrible  cry 
which  roused  the  whole  garrison  of  Indians. 

A  sudden  onslaught  was  then  made  by  both  par- 
ties pouring,  like  an  inundation,  through  the  unfin- 
ished works  into  the  fort.  The  savages,  taken  by 
surprise,  and  many  of  them  without  their  arms,  were 
thrown  into  a  panic.  Many  of  them  rushed  out  of 
the  fort,  leaving  their  guns  in  the  houses  behind. 
The  Dutch  followed  close  upon  their  heels,  shooting 
them,  and  with  keen  sabres  cutting  them  down. 
Just  beyond  the  fort  there  was  a  creek.  The  terri- 
fied Indians  precipitated  themselves  into  it,  and  by 
wading  and  swimming  forced  their  way  across. 
Here  they  attempted  to  rally  and  opened  fire  upon 
the  pursuing  Dutch.  The  fire  was  returned  with 
so  much  vigor  that  the  Indians  were  driven  with  loss 
from  their  position.  The  assailants  soon  crossed  the 
creek,  and  the  discomfited  Indians,  in  hopeless  rout, 
fled  wildly  into  the  trackless  wilderness. 

In  the  impetuous  assault  the  chief  of  the  tribe, 
Papoquanchen,  was  slain,  and  fourteen  of  his  war 
riors  with  four  Indian  women  and  three  children 
Twenty-two  christian  prisoners  were  recovered,  and 
fourteen  Indians  were  taken  captive.  The  Dutch 
lost  but  three  killed  and  six  were  wounded.  The 
houses  were  all  plundered    by  the  victors.     There 


THE  DISASTROUS  YEAR.  253 

was  found  in  them  eighty  guns,  and  "  bearskins, 
deerskins,  blankets,  elk  hides  and  peltries  sufficient 
to  load  a  shallop."  Forty  rolls  of  wampum  and 
twenty  pounds  of  powder  were  also  taken.  The  col- 
onists loaded  themselves  with  such  plunder  as  they 
could  carry.     The  rest  was  destroyed. 

The  return  of  the  victors  with  the  rescued  chris- 
tian captives,  gave  great  joy  at  Esopus.  We  regret 
to  record  that,  on  the  march  home,  there  was  one 
of  the  Indian  prisoners,  an  old  man,  who  refused  to 
go  any  farther.  Captain  Crygier  had  him  led  a  few 
steps  out  of  the  path  and  shot.  In  unfeeling  terms 
the  captain  writes,  "We  carried  him  a  little  aside 
and  then  gave  him  his  last  meal.'' 

The  remainder  of  the  month  of  September  was 
employed  in  sending  out  small  scouting  parties,  and 
in  protecting  the  farmers  while  gathering  their  har- 
vests. Though  the  Esopus  Indians  were  pretty 
thoroughly  crushed  by  these  disasters  which  had 
befallen  them,  they  showed  no  sign  of  submission. 
It  was  estimated  that  not  more  than  twenty-eight 
warriors,  with  fourteen  women  and  a  few  children 
survived.  And  these  were  without  homes  and 
almost  in  a  state  of  starvation.  Still  it  was  decided 
to  fit  out  a  third  expedition  against  them  to  effect 
their  utter  overthrow. 

It  was  thought  most  probable  that  the  dispersed 


254  PETER  STUYVLSANT. 

Indians  would  rally  again  within  the  fort  at  Mama, 
kating,  which  had  been  captured  and  sacked  but 
not  as  yet  destroyed.  It  was  perhaps  left  as  a  lure  to 
draw  the  Indians  to  that  point  where  they  could  be 
surrounded  and  annihilated. 

A  strong  well-armed  party  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty-four  soldiers  set  out  on  this  expedition.  Forty 
six  of  these  were  friendly  Indians  from  a  tribe  called 
Marespincks,  whose  home  was  on  Long  Island. 
The  soldiers  were  familiar  with  the  route  which  they 
had  so  recently  traversed.  A  weary  but  rapid  march 
of  twenty  hours  brought  them  to  the  scene  of  their 
recent  victory.  Not  an  Indian  was  there.  All  was 
silence  and  awful  desolation.  Even  the  colonists 
were  appalled  by  the  spectacle  which  opened  before 
them.  The  Indians  were  so  thoroughly  panic 
stricken  that  they  had  not  ventured  back  even  to 
bury  their  dead.  The  decaying  corpses  lay  scattered 
around,  many  of  them  half  consumed  by  vultures 
and  wolves.  The  birds  and  beasts,  with  wild  cries, 
were  devouring  their  prey.  Parties  were  sent  out 
to  scour  the  woods.  But  no  signs  of  the  savages 
could  be  found.  In  fact  the  Esopus  tribe  was  no 
more.  It  was  afterwards  ascertained  that  the 
wretched  remnant  had  fled  south  and  were  finally 
blended  and  lost  among  the  Minnisincks  and  other 
southern  tribes. 


THE   DISASTROUS    Y'EAR.  255 

The  fort  was  so  strong  that  it  required  not  a  little 
labor  to  destroy  it.  It  was  necessary  to  cut  down 
or  dig  up  the  palisades,  which  were  composed  of 
trunks  of  trees  twenty  feet  long  and  eighteen  inches 
in  diameter.  Several  cornfields  were  found  in  the 
vicinity  wherever  an  opening  in  the  forest  and  fer- 
tile soil  invited  the  labor  of  the  indolent  Indian. 
Two  days  were  occupied  in  cutting  down  the  corn, 
already  beautiful  in  its  golden  ripeness,  and  in  cast- 
ing the  treasure  into  the  creek.  The  palisades  were 
then  piled  around  the  dwellings  and  in  a  few  hours 
nothing  remained  of  the  once  imposing  fortress  but 
smoking  embers. 

This  Indian  fort  or  castle,  it  is  said,  stood  on  the 
banks  of  what  is  now  called  the  Shawangunk  kill,  in 
the  town  of  the  same  name,  at  the  southwestern 
extremity  of  Ulster  county.  It  seems  as  though  it 
were  the  doom  of  armies  on  the  march,  ever  to 
encounter  floods  of  rain.  Scarcely  had  the  troops 
commenced  their  return  ere  the  windows  of  heaven 
seemed  to  be  opened  and  the  fountains  of  the  great 
deep  to  be  broken  up. 

At  ten  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  5th  of 
October,  1664,  the  march  was  commenced.  The 
rain  came  on  like  that  of  Noah's  deluge.  The  short 
afternoon  passed  away  as,  threading  ravines  and 
climbing   mountains,   they  breasted   the   flood    and 


256  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

the  gale.  The  drenched  host  was  soon  enveloped 
in  the  gloom  of  a  long,  dark,  stormy  night.  Weary 
and  shelterless,  the  only  couch  they  could  find  was 
the  dripping  sod,  the  only  canopy,  the  weeping  skies. 
The  weeping  skies  !  yes,  nature  seemed  to  weep  and 
mourn  over  the  crimes  of  a  lost  race, — over  man's 
inhumanity  to  man.  It  was  not  until  the  evening 
of  the  next  day,  the  rain  still  continuing,  that  these 
weary  soldiers  reached  their  home  at  Esopus. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Encroachments  of  the  English, 

Annihilation  of  the  Esopus  Tribe. — The  Boundary  Question. — 
Troubles  on  Long  Island.  The  Dutch  and  English  Villages. — 
Petition  of  the  English. — Embarrassments  of  Governor  Stuyve- 
sant. — Embassage  to  Hartford. — The  Repulse. — Peril  of  New 
Netherland. — Memorial  to  the  Fatherland. — New  Outbreak  on 
Long  Island. — John  Scott  and  his  High-handed  Measures. — 
Strengthening  the  Fortifications. 

All  but  three  of  the  captives  carried  away  by 
the  Esopus  Indians,  were  eventually  recovered. 
The  fate  of  those  three  is  lost  in  hopeless  obscurity. 
The  revelations  of  the  day  of  Judgment  can  alone 
make  known  their  tragic  doom.  To  them,  as  to 
thousands  of  others,  this  earthly  life,  if  this  be  all, 
must  have  been  an  unmitigated  calamity.  But  this 
is  not  all.  After  death  cometh  the  judgment.  It 
will  be  easy  for  God,  in  the  future  world,  to  compen- 
sate his  children  a  thousand-fold  for  all  the  ills  they 
are  called  to  suffer  in  this  life.  There  is  true  chris- 
tian philosophy  in  the  beautiful  poetry  of  Bryant, 

*•  Oh,  deem  not  they  are  blest  alone 
Whose  lives  an  even  tenor  keep. 
For  God,  who  pities  man,  hath  shown 
A  blessing  for  the  eyes  that  ^veep. 


258  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

"  For  God  has  marked  each  sorrowing  day 
And  numbered  every  secret  tear, 
And  heaven's  long  age  of  bliss  shall  pay 
For  all  his  children  suffer  here." 

Peace  was  now  restored  by  the  annihilation  of 
the  hostile  Indians.  Most  of  the  Dutch  soldiers  re- 
turned to  New  Amsterdam.  Still  it  was  deemed 
important  to  enlarge  and  strengthen  the  fortifica- 
tions at  Esopus. 

The  boundary  line  between  the  British  colonies 
in  New  England,  and  the  Dutch  settlements  in  New 
Netherland,  still  continued  in  dispute.  The  Eng- 
lish, in  numerical  strength,  were  in  the  vast  ascen- 
dency, and  could  easily  overpower  the  Dutch.  Very 
strenuous  efforts  had  been  made,  by  the  States-Gen- 
eral, to  lead  the  British  government  to  accept  some 
boundary  line.  But  all  was  in  vain.  It  was  very 
evident  that  the  English  intended  to  claim  the 
whole.  And  it  was  also  evident  that  their  colonies 
were  increasing  so  rapidly  that,  in  a  short  time,  they 
would  be  able  to  take  possession  of  all  the  territory 
so  strongly  that  it  would  be  hopeless  for  the  Dutch 
to  attempt  any  resistance. 

Governor  Stuyvesant  now  received  intelligence 
from  Holland  that  there  was  no  hope  of  any  settle- 
ment being  effected  through  the  two  governments, 
and    that  he  must  do    everything  in  his  power   to 


ENCROACHMENTS   OF  THE   ENGLISH.  259 

strengthen  the  boundary  lines  the  Dutch  claimed, 
and  to  enter  into  such  friendly  relations  with  the 
New  England  colonists  that  they  should  not  be 
tempted  to  undertake  any  encroachments.  To  add 
to  the  governor's  embarrassments  very  many  English- 
men had  taken  up  their  residence  in  the  Dutch  set- 
tlements, particularly  on  Long  Island.  Though  they 
had,  of  necessity,  taken  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the 
constituted  authorities,  their  sympathies  were  with 
the  New  England  colonists  ;  and  they  would  wel- 
come any  revolution  which  should  transfer  the  terri- 
tory to  Great  Britain,  and  thus  absolve  them  from 
their  oaths. 

In  accordance  with  the  instructions  received 
from  Holland,  the  governor  repaired  to  Boston  to 
enter  into  a  friendly  conference  with  the  authorities 
there.  Scarcely  had  he  left  New  Amsterdam,  when 
an  English  emissary,  James  Christie,  visited  Graves- 
end,  Flushing,  Hempstead  and  Jamaica,  with  the 
announcement  that  the  inhabitants  of  those  places 
were  no  longer  under  the  Dutch  government,  but 
that  their  territory  was  annexed  to  the  Connecticut 
colony.  This  important  movement  took  place  on 
the  sixth  of  September,  1663. 

Only  about  six  weeks  before,  the  Connecticut 
council,  on  the  20th  of  July,  had  sent  Captain  John 
Talcott  with  an  armed  force  of  eighteen  soldiers,  to 


26o  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

that  portion  of  New  Netherland  now  called  West- 
chester, to  declare  that  the  inhabitants  were  absolv- 
ed from  their  allegiance  to  the  Dutch  government, 
to  dismiss  the  old  magistrates  and  to  appoint  otheis 
in  their  stead.  These  were  high-handed  meas- 
ures, apparently  inexcusable. 

When  John  Christie  reached  Gravesend,  he  sum- 
moned the  whole  village  together  and  read  to  them 
the  dispatch.  The  British  element  was  there 
strongly  in  the  ascendency,  even  the  magistrates 
being  mainly  on  that  side.  As  Christie  was  reading 
the  treasonable  document,  one  of  the  Dutch  magis- 
trates, sheriff  Stillwell,  faithful  to  his  oath,  arrested 
him.  The  other  magistrates  ordered  the  arrest  of 
Stillwell.  His  life  was  in  danger  from  the  passions  of 
the  mob.  He  succeeded  in  sending  word  to  New 
Amsterdam  of  the  peril  of  his  condition.  A  sergeant 
and  eight  soldiers  were  dispatched,  who  arrested 
Christie  again  and  held  him  under  their  guard. 

News  of  these  agitations  spread  rapidly  through 
the  adjoining  villages.  It  was  rumored  that  a  large 
mob  was  gathering  to  rescue  Christie  from  the 
soldiers.  Consequently,  two  hours  after  midnight, 
under  protection  of  darkness  and  without  the 
knowledge  of  the  community,  Christie  was  secretly 
removed  from  sheriff  Stillwell's  house  to  New  Am 
sterdam.     During  the  next  day  the  tidings  of  hia 


ENCROACHMENTS   OF   THE   ENG1 ISH.  26l 

removal  spread  through  the  streets.  It  created 
great  exasperation.  At  night  a  mob  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  men  surrounded  the  house  of  sheriff  Still- 
well,  shouting  that  they  would  have  him,  dead  or 
alive. 

He  succeeded  in  the  darkness,  in  escaping  ly 
the  back  door,  and  in  finding  his  way  to  the  house 
of  his  son-in-law.  The  mob  broke  in,  ransacked  his 
house  in  every  corner,  poured  down  their  own  thirsty 
throats  a  large  quantity  of  brandy  which  they  found 
there,  and  dispersed  without  committing  any  further 
depredations. 

Stillwell  hastened  to  New  Amsterdam,  to  enter 
his  complaints  there,  and  to  seek  protection.  The 
other  magistrates  wrote,  throwing  all  the  blame 
upon  him,  accusing  him  of  having  acted  in  a  violent 
manner  and  of  causing  "  a  great  hubbub  in  the 
town."  "  We  are,"  they  wrote,  "  the  loyal  subjects 
of  the  Dutch  government,  but  not  of  sheriff  Still- 
well,  who  is  the  greatest  disturber  of  the  peace  who 
ever  came  among  us.M 

The  excitement  was  great.  Threats  were  uttered 
of  retaliation  if  Christie  were  not  released.  But 
the  Dutch  council  in  New  Amsterdam  approved  of 
the  conduct  of  its  sheriff.  Christie  was  held  firmly. 
Dispatches  were  sent  to  all  the  towns  in  western 
Long  Island,  where  there  was  a  considerable  English 


262  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

population,  ordering  that  any  seditious  persons  who 
should  visit  their  settlements,  should  be  arrested 
and  sent  to  New  Amsterdam.  They  then  sent  an 
express  to  Governor  Stuyvesant  in  Boston,  that  he 
might  bring  the  question  of  these  disorderly  meas- 
ures before  the  General  Assembly  there. 

But  the  governor  could  obtain  no  redress  and  no 
promises  of  amendment.  The  Massachusetts  au- 
thorities would  not  hold  themselves  bound  to  the 
faithful  observance  of  the  treaty  of  1650.  They 
said  that  it  was  subject  to  his  Majesty's  approval 
and  to  any  limitations  which  might  be  found  in  the 
charter  granted  to  Connecticut.  They  refused  to 
submit  the  question  to  any  arbitrators  whatever. 
The  New  England  colonists  were  conscious  that  the 
power  was  in  their  own  hands,  and  they  were  dis 
posed  to  use  it. 

In  the  meantime  the  English  residents  in  the 
settlements  on  western  Long  Island  were  not  idle. 
The  following  very  emphatic  petition  was  got  up 
and  signed  by  twenty-six  individuals  : 

"  The  humble  petition  of  us  the  inhabitants  of 
Jamaica,  Middleborough  and  Hempstead,  Long  Isl- 
and, whose  names  are  subscribed,  to  the  honored 
General  Court,  to  be  assembled  at  Hartford  on  the 
8th  of  October   1663,  humbly  showeth, 

"That  forasmuch  as  it  has  pleased  the  all-dispos- 


EN'CROACHMENTS   OF  THE   ENGLISH.  263 

ing  Providence  to  appoint  unto  us  our  dwellings  in 
these  parts  of  the  country,  under  the  Dutch  govern- 
ment, in  which  government  we  meet  with  several 
inconveniences,  which  do  much  to  trouble  us,  and 
which  we  find  very  uncomfortable,  and  forasmuch 
as  we  have  received  information  how  it  hath  pleas- 
ed the  Highest  Majesty  to  move  the  heart  of  the 
King's  Majesty  to  grant  unto  your  colony  such  en- 
largements as  comprehend  the  whole  island,  there- 
by opening  a  way  for  us,  as  we  hope,  from  our  pres- 
ent bondage,  to  such  liberties  and  enlargements  as 
your  patent  affords, 

u  Our  humble  petition  is  that,  as  we  are  already, 
according  to  our  best  information,  under  the  skirts  of 
your  patent,  so  you  would  be  pleased  to  cast  over  us 
the  skirts  of  your  government  and  protection  ;  for  as- 
suredly if  you  should  leave  us  now,  which  we  hope  we 
have  not  cause  to  fear,  our  lives,  comforts  and  estates 
will  be  much  endangered,  as  woful  experience  makes 
manifest.  For  a  countryman  of  ours,  for  carrying  a 
message  to  a  neighbor  plantation,  from  some  of  your- 
selves, has  been  imprisoned  for  several  weeks,  and 
how  long  it  will  be  continued  we  know  not." 

This  last  sentence  had  reference  to  John  Chris- 
tie. It  must  be  admitted  that  this  was  a  very  mild 
way  of  putting  the  question,  when  it  is  remembered 
that  he  came,  commissioned  by  the  Connecticut  au* 


264  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

thorities.  at  least  so  he  represented  it,  to  announce 
to  the  people  in  the  Dutch  settlements,  that  they 
were  no  longer  under  the  Dutch  government,  but 
under  that  of  Hartford. 

This  petition  was  speedily  followed  by  vigorous 
measures,  which  were  undoubtedly  countenanced, 
if  not  authorized,  by  the  Connecticut  authorities. 
One  Richard  Panton,  "whose  commission  was  his 
sword  and  whose  power  his  pistol,"  threatened 
the  people  of  Flatbush  and  other  Dutch  villages  in 
the  neighborhood,  with  the  pillage  of  their  property 
unless  they  would  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the 
Hartford  government  and  take  up  arms  against  the 
Dutch  provincial  authorities. 

Such  were  the  news  which  first  greeted  Govern- 
or Stuyvesant  when  he  returned,  not  a  little  dis- 
pirited, from  his  unsuccessful  mission  to  Boston. 
He  was  fully  aware  that  he  could  bring  forward  no 
physical  power  which  could  resist  the  encroachments 
of  his  unscrupulous  neighbors.  He  had  no  weapon 
to  which  he  could  resort  but  diplomatic  skill.  He 
accordingly  immediately  sent  a  deputation  of  four  of 
his  principal  men  to  Hartford,  still  to  make  another 
attempt  with  the  authorities  there  to  settle  the 
boundary  question,  "  so  that  all  further  disputes 
may,  for  the  welfare  of  our  mutual  subjects,  be  pre- 
vented/' 


ENCROACHMENTS   OF  THE   ENGLISH.  265 

The  commissioners  sailed  from  New  Amsterdam 
and  after  two  days  landed  at  Milford.  Thence 
they  took  horses  and  rode  to  New  Haven,  where 
they  passed  the  night.  The  next  day  they  rode  to 
Hartford.  The  road  through  the  almost  unbroken 
wilderness  was  rough  and  the  journey  very  fatigu- 
ing. It  took  our  fathers  four  days  to  traverse  the 
space  over  which  we  can  now  easily  pass  in  four 
hours.  The  General  Assembly  at  Hartford  appoint- 
ed three  persons  as  a  committee  of  conference  to 
meet  the  delegation  from  New  Amsterdam.  A  long 
negotiation  followed.  John  Winthrop,  son  of  Gov- 
ernor Winthrop  of  Massachusetts,  was  then  governor 
of  Connecticut.  He  seems  to  have  been  the  worthy 
son  of  his  noble  sire.  His  sense  of  justice  disposed 
him  to  respect  the  claims  of  the  Dutch  delegation. 
He  admitted  that  the  patent  issued  by  the  king  of 
England  could  by  no  justice  rob  the  Dutch  of  their 
territory,  and  that  it  was  not  so  intended.  But  the 
Hartford  commissioners  were  inexorable.  "  The 
opinion  of  the  governor/'  they  said,  "  is  but  the 
opinion  of  one  man.  The  grant  of  the  king  of  Eng- 
land includes  all  the  land  south  of  the  Boston  line 
to  Virginia  and  to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  We  do  not 
know  any  New  Netherland,  unless  you  can  show  a 
patent  for  it  from  the  king  of  England." 

*  But  did   you  net/'  said  the  Dutch  delegates 
12 


2(56  PETER  STUVVESANT. 

"  agree  by  the  treaty  of  1650,  that  the  boundary 
line  on  Long  Island  should  run  from  the  western 
part  of  Oyster  bay  straight  across  the  island  to  the 
sea ;  and  that  the  land  east  of  that  line  should  belong 
to  the  English  and  west  to  the  Dutch? 

"  And  did  you  not  agree  that,  on  the  mainland, 
the  boundary  line  between  the  Dutch  and  English 
possessions  should  begin  upon  the  west  side  of 
Greenwich  bay,  running  twenty  miles  into  the  un- 
known interior,  and  that  the  region  west  of  that 
should  belong  to  the  Dutch ?*' 

The  emphatic  reply  to  those  questions  was,  "  We 
regard  that  treaty  as  an  absolute  nullity — of  no  force. 
We  shall  govern  ourselves  entirely  by  the  patent 
granted  us  by  his  majesty  the  king  of  England. 
The  Dutch  may  hold  as  much  as  they  now  actually 
occupy.  But  that  shall  not  hinder  us  from  taking 
possession  of  any  territory  not  occupied  by  them." 

The  Dutch  then  proposed,  by  way  of  compromise, 
that  for  the  present,  Westchester  should  remain  in 
possession  of  Connecticut,  while  the  towns  on  west- 
ern Long  Island  should  remain  under  the  govern- 
ment of  New  Netherland.  To  this  the  Hartford 
commissioners  replied : 

"  We  do  not  know  of  any  province  of  New 
Netherland.  There  is  a  Dutch  governor  over  a 
Dutch  plantation  on  the  island  of  Manhattan.     Long 


ENCROACHMENTS   OF  THE   ENGLISH.  267 

Island  is  included  in  our  patent,  and  we  shall  possess 
and  maintain  it."  * 

Thus  repulsed  at  every  point,  the  Dutch  agents 
commenced  their  return.  They  bore  a  letter  to 
Stuyvesant  from  the  General  Assembly,  in  which, 
withholding  from  him  the  title  of  governor  of  New 
Netherland,  they  discourteously  addressed  him 
simply  as  "  Director  General  at  Manhattan.'' 

As  we  have  mentioned,  there  were  many  English 
settlers  in  the  Dutch  towns  on  the  western  end  of 
Long  Island.  In  some  of  them  it  is  not  improbable 
that  the  English  element  predominated.  In  the 
letter  sent  by  the  General  Court  to  Governor  Stuy- 
vesant, it  was  stated  that  Westchester  and  Stamford 
belonged  to  Connecticut ;  that,  for  the  present,  the 
General  Court  would  forbear  from  exercising  any 
authority  over  the  English  plantations  on  Long 
Island ;  but  that,  should  the  Dutch  molest  the  Eng- 
lish there,  the  Connecticut  authorities  would  use  all 
just  and  lawful  means  for  their  protection. 

The  situation  of  the  Dutch  province  was  now 
alarming  in  the  extreme,  and  Governor  Stuyvesant 
was  environed  by  difficulties  which  no  mortal  saga* 
city  or  energy  could  surmount.  His  treasury  was 
exhausted.    The  English  settlers  in  the  Long  Island 

*  See  Brodhead's  State  of  New  York,  vol.  1.  p.  721  ;  also  O'Cal* 
laghan's  New  Netherland,  vol  1.  p.  489. 


268  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

villages,  were  in  determined  and  open  revolt.  And 
his  English  neighbors,  whom  he  was  altogether  too 
feeble  to  resist,  were  crowding  upon  him  in  the  most 
merciless  encroachments. 

Under  these  circumstances,  he  called  atonven- 
tion,  to  consist  of  two  delegates  from  all  the  neigh- 
boring villages,  to  meet  at  New  Amsterdam  on  the 
22d  of  October,  1663.  Eight  towns  were  repre- 
sented. 

The  Convention  adopted  an  earnest  remon- 
strance to  the  authorities  in  Holland,  in  which  the 
disastrous  situation  of  the  province  was  mainly 
attributed  to  their  withholding  that  aid  which  was 
essential  to  the  maintenance  of  the  colony. 

"  The  people  of  Connecticut,"  the  remonstrance 
stated,  "  are  enforcing  their  unlimited  patent  ac- 
cording to  their  own  interpretation,  and  the  total 
loss  of  New  Netherland  is  threatened.  The  Eng- 
lish, to  cloak  their  plans,  now  object  that  there  is  no 
proof,  no  legal  commission  or  patent,  from  their 
High  Mightinesses,  to  substantiate  and  justify  our 
rights  and  claims  to  the  property  of  this  province, 
and  insinuate  that  through  the  backwardness  of 
their  High  Mightinesses  to  grant  such  a  patent,  you 
apparently  intended  to  place  the  people  here  on 
slippery  ice,  giving  them  lands  to  which  your  honors 
had  no  right  whatever/' 


ENCROACHMENTS   OF  THE    ENGLISH.  269 

Governor  Stuyvesant  sent  with  this  remon- 
strance a  private  letter  to  the  home  government,  in 
which  he  urged  that  the  boundary  question  should 
be  settled  by  the  national  authorities  of  the  two 
countries.  "  It  is  important,''  he  said,  "  that  the 
States-General  should  send  letters  to  the  English 
villages  on  Long  Island,  commanding  them  to  re- 
turn to  their  allegiance.  And  that  the  objections 
of  Connecticut  may  be  met,  the  original  charter  of 
the  West  India  Company  should  be  solemnly  con- 
firmed by  a  public  act  of  their  High  Mightinesses, 
under  their  great  seal,  which  an  Englishman  com- 
monly dotes  upon  like  an  idol." 

Scarcely  were  these  documents  dispatched  when 
new  and  still  more  alarming  outbreaks  occurred. 
Two  Englishmen,  Anthony  Waters  of  Hempstead, 
and  John  Coe  of  Middlebury,  with  an  armed  force 
of  nearly  one  hundred  men,  visited  most  of  what 
were  called  the  English  villages,  convoked  the  peo- 
ple, told  them  that  their  country  belonged  to  the 
king  of  England,  and  that  they  must  no  longer  pay 
taxes  to  the  Dutch.  They  removed  the  magistrates 
and  appointed  their  own  partisans  in  their  stead. 
They  then  visited  the  Dutch  towns  and  threatened 
them  with  the  severest  vengeance  if  they  did  not 
renounce  all  allegiance  to  the  Dutch  authorities,  and 
take  the  oath  of  fealty  to  the  king  of  England. 


270  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

Only  four  weeks  after  this,  another  party  of 
twenty  Englishmen  from  Gravesend,  Flushing  and 
Jamaica,  secretly  entered  Raritan  river,  in  a  sloop, 
and  sailing  up  the  river  several  miles,  assembled  the 
chiefs  of  some  of  the  neighboring  tribes,  and  endeav- 
ored to  purchase  of  them  a  large  extent  of  territory 
in  that  region.  They  knew  perfectly  well  not  only 
that  they  were  within  the  bounds  which  had  been 
the  undisputed  possession  of  New  Netherland  for 
nearly  half  a  century,  but  that  the  Dutch  had  also 
purchased  of  the  Indians  all  their  title  to  these  lands. 

Stuyvesant,  being  informed  of  this  procedure, 
promptly  sent  Ensign  Crygier,  with  an  armed  force, 
*n  a  swift  sailing  yacht,  to  find  the  English  and 
thwart  their  measures.  At  the  same  time  he  sent 
Hans,  a  friendly  Indian,  in  whom  he  could  repose 
confidence,  to  warn  the  sachems  against  selling 
over  again,  lands  to  which  they  no  longer  had  any 
title.  The  Dutch  party  reached  the  spot  where  the 
Englishmen  and  the  Indians  were  in  council,  just  in 
time  to  stop  the  sale.  The  Indians  were  shrewd 
enough  to  know  that  all  they  could  give  was  a  a  quit 
claim  "  title,  and  they  were  very  willing  to  give  that 
in  view  of  the  rich  remuneration  which  was  offered 
them. 

The  English  thus  baffled,  again  took  their  sloop 
and  sailed  down  the  bay,  to  a  point  between  Rens- 


ENCROACHMENTS  OF  THE  ENGLISH.  2JI 

selaer's  Hook  and  Sandy  Hook,  where  they  were 
about  to  renew  their  endeavors  when  Ensign  Cry- 
gier  again  overtook  them.  "  You  are  traitors,"  he 
exclaimed.  "  You  are  acting  against  the  govern- 
ment to  which  you  have  taken  the  oath  of  fidelity.,, 
"  This  whole  country,''  they  replied,  "  has  been  given 
to  the  English  by  his  Majesty  the  king  of  Eng- 
land." 

Thus  the  antagonistic  parties  separated.  The 
Dutch  sloop  returned  to  New  Amsterdam.  The 
next  day  a  number  of  sachems  came  to  New  Am- 
sterdam and  sold  to  Governor  Stuyvesant  the  re- 
mainder of  the  lands  on  the  Raritan,  which  had  not 
previously  been  transferred  to  the  Dutch. 

One  John  Scott,  an  Englishman  of  turbulent 
character,  and  a  zealous  royalist,  petitioned  king 
Charles  Second  to  bestow  upon  him  the  govern- 
ment of  Long  Island.  In  his  petition,  which  was 
referred  to  the  Council  for  Foreign  Plantations,  he 
said  : 

"  The  Dutch  have  of  late  years,  unjustly  ob- 
truded upon  and  possessed  themselves  of  certain 
places  on  the  mainland  of  New  England,  and  some 
islands  adjacent,  as  in  particular  on  Manhattan  and 
Long  Island/  being  the  true  and  undoubted  inherit- 
ance of  his  Majesty." 

In  reply  to  this  petition,  Scott  with  two  others, 


±*]2  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

was  appointed  a  committee  to  prepare  "  a  statement 
of  the  English  title  to  those  lands ;  with  an  account 
of  the  Dutch  intrusion,  their  deportment  since  and 
management  of  that  possession,  their  strength,  trade 
and  government  there,  and  of  the  means  to  make 
them  acknowledge  and  submit  to  his  Majesty's  gov- 
ernment or  by  force  to  expulse  them.'' 

Armed  with  this  authority,  Scott  came  to 
America,  where  he  was  very  cordially  received  by 
the  authorities  in  New  Haven.  Connecticut  in- 
vested him  with  the  powers  of  a  magistrate  through- 
out the  whole  of  Long  Island,  and  Governor  John 
Winthrop  administered  to  him  the  oath  of  office. 
Scott  entered  vigorously  upon  his  work  of  wresting 
western  Long  Island  from  the  dominion  of  the 
Dutch,  whom  he  denounced  as  "  cruel  and  rapacious 
neighbors  who  were  enslaving  the  English  settlers.*' 

He  visited  most  of  the  villages,  where  large 
numbers  of  the  English  resided,  but  found  that 
there  was  strong  opposition  to  being  annexed  to 
Connecticut.  Many  of  them,  particularly  the  Bap- 
tists and  the  Quakers,  were  very  unwilling  to  come 
under  the  rule  of  the  Puritan  government. 

Consequently,  six  of  the  towns,  Hempstead, 
Gravesend,  Flushing,  Middlebury,  Jamaica  and 
Oyster  Bay,  formed  a  combination  to  govern  them- 
selves independently  of  Connecticut,  and  empowered 


ENCROACHMENTS   OF   THE  ENGLISH.  273 

Scott  to  act  as  their  President,  until  the  king  of 
England  should  establish  a  permanent  government 
among  them.  Scott  in  his  pride  now  unfurled  an 
almost  imperial  banner.  Placing  himself  at  the 
head  of  one  hundred  and  seventy  armed  men,  horse 
and  foot,  he  set  out  to  compel  the  neighboring 
Dutch  villages  to  renounce  their  allegiance  to  Hol- 
land and  to  subject  themselves  to  his  sway. 

He  first  marched  upon  Brooklyn.  Summoning 
the  citizens,  he  told  them  that  the  soil  they  occupied 
belonged  to  the  king  of  England,  and  that  he  now 
claimed  it  as  his  own,  and  that  they  were  conse 
quently  absolved  from  all  further  allegiance  to  the 
Dutch  government  and  were  required  to  take  the 
oath  of  submission  to  the  new  government,  now 
about  to  be  established  over  them. 

Scott  was  accompanied  by  so  powerful  an  armed 
force  that  the  magistrates  could  not  arrest  him. 
One  of  them,  however,  Secretary  Van  Ruyven, 
invited  him  to  cross  the  river  to  New  Amsterdam 
and  confer  with  the  governor  there.  Scott  replied, 
"  Let  Stuyvesant  come  here  with  a  hundred  men ; 
I  will  wait  for  him  and  run  my  sword  through  his 
body." 

There  was  no  disposition  manifested  whatever, 
on  the  part  of  the  people,  to  renounce  the  govern- 
ment of  their  fathers  and  accept  of  that  of  Scott  in 
12* 


274  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

Its  stead.  There  was  a  little  boy  standing  by, 
whose  proud  and  defiant  bearing  arrested  the  atten- 
tion of  Scott.  He  was  a  son  of  the  heroic  Crygier, 
of  whom  we  have  before  spoken.  Scott  ordered 
him  to  take  off  his  hat  and  bow  to  the  flag  of  Eng- 
land. The  boy  refused.  Scott  struck  him.  A  by- 
stander scornfully  said,  "  If  you  have  blows  to  give, 
you  should  strike  men,  not  boys." 

Four  of  Scott's  soldiers  fiercely  assailed  the  man, 
and  though  for  a  moment  he  defended  himself  with 
an  axe,  he  was  soon  compelled  to  fly.  Scott 
demanded  his  surrender  and  threatened  to  lay  the 
town  in  ashes  unless  he  were  given  up.  He  was 
not  surrendered,  and  Scott  did  not  venture  to  exe- 
cute his  barbarous  threat. 

From  Brooklyn  Scott  went  to  Flatbush.  He 
there  unfurled  the  flag  of  England  in  front  of  the 
house  of  the  sheriff.  Curiosity  assembled  a  large 
concourse  to  witness  what  was  transpiring.  Scott 
addressed  them  at  much  length.  "  He  jabbered 
away ''  writes  a  Dutch  historian,  "  in  English,  like  a 
mountebank. " 

"  This  land,"  said  he,  "  which  you  now  occupy, 
belongs  to  his  Majesty,  king  Charles.  He  is  the 
right  and  lawful  lord  of  all  America,  from  Virginia 
to  Bostoi.  Under  his  government  you  will  enjoy 
more    freedom     than   you     ever    before   possessed, 


ENCROACHMENTS  OF  THE   ENGLISH.  2J% 

Hereafter  you  shall  pay  no  more  taxes  to  the  Dutch 
government,  neither  shall  you  obey  Peter  Stuyve- 
sant.  He  is  no  longer  your  governor,  and  you  are 
not  to  acknowledge  his  authority.  If  you  refuse  to 
submit  to  the  king  of  England,  you  know  what  ti 
expect/' 

His  harangue  produced  no  effect.  The  Dutch 
remained  unshaken  in  their  loyalty.  Some  of  the 
magistrates  ventured  to  tell  him  that  these  were 
matters  which  he  ought  to  settle  with  Governor 
Stuyvesant.     He  replied, 

"  Stuyvesant  is  governor  no  longer.  I  will  soon 
go  to  New  Amsterdam,  with  a  hundred  men,  and 
proclaim  the  supremacy  of  his  Majesty,  king  Charles, 
beneath  the  very  walls  of  the  fort." 

The  next  day  he  went  to  Flatbush,  where  there 
was  a  renewal  of  the  scenes  which  we  have  above 
described.  Though  the  people  could  present  no  re- 
sistance, he  found  no  voice  to  cheer  him.  The 
want  of  success  exasperated  Scott.  He  went  to 
New  Utrecht.  There  was  a  block  fort  there,  arm- 
ed with  cannon,  and  over  which  floated  the  Dutch 
flag.  He  hauled  down  that  banner  and  raised  in  its 
stead  the  flag  of  England.  Then,  with  Dutch  can 
non  and  Dutch  powder,  he  fired  a  salute  in  honor 
of  his  victory.  All  passers-by  were  ordered  to  un- 
cover  their   heads   and    bow    in    submission  to  the 


276  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

English   flag.     Those   who  refused   to  do  so  were 
pursued  by  his  soldiers  and  cruelly  beaten. 

Governor  Stuyvesant,  upon  being  informed  of 
these  transactions,  immediately  sent  three  of  hii 
principal  men  to  Long  Island,  to  seek  some  arrange 
ment  with  Scott  for  the  termination  of  such  disor- 
ders. They  met  him  at  Jamaica.  After  much  dis- 
cussion they  entered  into  a  partial  agreement,  which 
was  to  be  submitted  to  the  approval  of  Governor 
Stuyvesant.  As  the  Dutch  deputies  took  their 
leave,  Scott  said  to  them, 

"  This  whole  island  belongs  to  the  king  of  Eng- 
land. He  has  made  a  grant  of  it  to  his  brother,  the 
duke  of  York.  He  knows  that  it  will  yield  him  an 
annual  revenue  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
dollars.  He  is  soon  coming  with  an  ample  force,  to 
take  possession  of  his  property.  If  it  is  not  surren- 
dered peaceably  he  is  determined  to  take,  not  only 
the  whole  island,  but  also  the  whole  province  of 
New  Netherland." 

With  these  alarming  tidings,  the  Dutch  envoys 
returned  to  New  Amsterdam.  Disorders  were  now 
rapidly  multiplying.  Scott  rallied  around  him  all 
the  most  turbulent  of  the  English  population,  and 
the  Dutch  towns  were  menaced  with  violence.  The 
Dutch  families  in  the  English  villages,  were  many 
of  them  compelled  to  abandon  their  houses,  and  re- 


ENCROACHMENTS  OF  THE  ENGLISH.  277 

pair  to  the  Dutch  villages  for  protection.  Frequent 
collisions  occurred.  There  was  no  longer  any  hap- 
piness or  peace  to  be  found  in  these  dwellings  agi- 
tated by  the  approaching  tempests  of  revolution. 

The  inhabitants  of  New  Amsterdam  became 
greatly  alarmed  from  fear  that  their  rich  and  beau- 
tiful city  would  be  attacked  or  plundered  by  the 
English.  The  burgomasters  and  principal  men  drew 
up  a  petition  to  the  authorities  urging  additional  for- 
tifications for  the  city  and  the  enlistment  of  an  in- 
creased armed  force." 

In  this  petition  they  said,  "  this  capital  is  adorn- 
ed with  so  many  noble  buildings,  at  the  expense  of 
so  many  good  and  faithful  inhabitants,  principally 
Netherlander*  that  it  nearly  excels  any  other  place 
in  Nortn  America.  Were  it  duly  fortified  it  would 
instn  tear  into  any  envious  neighbors.  It  would  pro- 
tect both  the  East  and  the  North  rivers,  the  sur- 
rounding villages  and  farms,  as  well  as  full  ten  thou- 
sand inhabitants  who  would  soon  flock  to  this  prov- 
ince, where  thousands  of  acres  of  land  remain  wild 
and  uncultivated.  It  would  become  the  granary  of 
fatherland.  Yes,  if  permitted  to  abide  in  peace  this 
land  will  become  an  emporium  to  fatherland  by  its 
growing  plantations." 

In  accordance  with  this  memorial,  heavy  taxes 
were   imposed   and    large   contributions   subscribed 


2?8  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

to  enlarge  and  strengthen  the  fortifications.  A 
militia  of  two  hundred  men  was  organized,  and 
one  hundred  and  sixty  were  enlisted  as  regular 
soldiers, 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Hostile  Measures  Commenced. 

John  Scott  and  his  Movements. — Losses  of  the  Dutch. — The  First 
General  Assembly. — Action  of  the  Home  Government. — Peace 
with  the  Indians. — Arrest  of  John  Scott. — Governor  Winthrop's 
visit  to  Long  Island. — Sailing  of  the  Fleet. — Preparations  for 
War. — The  False  Dispatches. — Arrival  of  the  Fleet. — The  Sum- 
mons to  Surrender. 

Governor  Stuyvesant,  with  much  anxiety  of 
mind,  kept  a  vigilant  eye  upon  the  proceedings 
of  John  Scott,  on  Long  Island.  Some  praised  the 
governor  for  the  forbearance  he  had  exhibited 
under  the  provoking  circumstances.  Others  severely 
blamed  him  for  his  course,  which  they  pronounced 
to  be  cowardly  and  disgraceful  to  the  nation. 

By  the  terms  of  the  Convention,  concluded 
between  the  Dutch  delegates  and  John  Scott,  it  was 
agreed  that  the  English  villages,  on  the  western  part 
of  Long  Island,  should  remain  unmolested  under 
English  rule,  for  the  space  of  one  year,  until  the 
king  of  England  and  the  States-General  of  Holland 
should  have  time  to  settle  the  question  in  dispute. 
In   the  meantime  the    English  were  to  have  free 


280  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

access  to  all  the  Dutch  towns  on  the  island,  and  on 
the  mainland,  for  purposes  of  trade  ;  and  the  Dutch 
were  to  enjoy  the  same  privilege  in  visiting  the 
English  towns. 

These  terms  were  to  be  presented  to  Governor 
Stuyvesant  for  his  rejection  or  approval.  Deciding 
to  ratify  them  he  took  with  him  an  escort  of  ten 
men,  and  proceeded  to  Hempstead,  on  the  third  day 
of  March,  1664.  Here  he  met  the  President,  John 
Scott,  with  delegates  from  the  English  towns,  and 
the  agreement  was  ratified. 

The  Dutch  had  now  lost,  one  after  another, 
every  portion  of  territory  which  the  English  had 
assailed.  The  whole  valley  of  the  Connecticut  river 
had  beon  surrendered  to  the  English.  Westchester 
was  entirely  in  their  possession.  And  now  the 
important  towns  of  Flushing,  Jamaica,  Hempstead 
and  Gravesend  were  yielded  up  to  them.  The 
whole  of  Long  Island  was  also  peremptorily  claimed 
by  the  English,  with  the  declaration  that  if  any 
resistance  were  made  to  their  taking  possession  of 
it,  they  would  seize  the  valley  of  the  Hudson  and 
the  whole  of  New  Netherland. 

The  conjuncture  was  gloomy  indeed.  Governor 
Stuyvesant  was  conscious  that  he  was  utterly  power- 
less. He  then  decided  it  to  be  necessary  to  call  to 
his  aid  popular  representation.    A  General  Assembly 


HOSTILE  MEASURES  COMMENCED.  28l 

of  delegates  from  all  the  towns  was  convoked  to 
take  into  consideration  the  state  of  the  province. 
This  important  meeting  was  held  in  the  City  Hall 
of  New  Amsterdam,  on  the  loth  of  April,  1664. 
Twenty-four  delegates  were  present  from  twelve 
towns. 

Immediately  there  arose  an  unfriendly  contro- 
versy between  the  governor  and  the  assembly  which 
was  fatal  to  any  harmonious  or  efficient  action. 
The  assembly  refused  to  grant  the  governor  the 
supplies,  in  money  or  in  men,  which  he  called  for,  and 
adjourned  for  a  week.  In  the  meantime  Governor 
Stuyvesant  had  received  dispatches  from  Holland. 
The  West  India  Company  had  acted  energetically 
upon  the  subject  urged  in  his  memorial.  They  had 
presented  to  the  States-General  a  very  earnest  peti- 
tion. 

In  this  memorial  they  laid  before  that  august 
body,  a  detailed  account  of  the  aggressions  com- 
mitted by  the  English,  and  of  the  repulse  with  which 
the  Dutch  overtures  for  an  amicable  settlement  had 
been  met  at  Boston  and  Hartford. 

"  Out  of  respect,"  said  they,  l  to  the  alliance 
recently  entered  into  with  England,  they  had 
hitherto  abstained  from  hostilities.  But,  as  it  now 
seemed  absolutely  necessary  to  repel  aggression  by 
force,  they  implored  such  military  and  pecuniary  aid 


282  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

as  the  occasion  required.  They  also  urged  that,  in 
conformity  with  Governor  Stuyvesant's  request,  an 
act  should  be  passed  under  the  great  seal,  confirm- 
ing their  original  charter;  and  that  letters  might  be 
sent  to  the  revolted  towns  on  Long  Island,  requiring 
them,  under  the  severest  penalties,  to  return  to  their 
allegiance.  In  conclusion  they  asked  that  the 
whole  of  the  aggressions  of  which  they  complained 
might  be  communicated  to  the  king  of  England, 
with  the  request  that  he  would  order  his  English 
subjects  to  restore,  on  the  instant,  the  places  they 
had  seized,  and  to  abstain  from  all  further  innova- 
tions, pending  the  negotiations  for  a  boundary 
line." 

These  requests  were  complied  with  by  the 
States-General.  They  sent  sixty  soldiers  to  New 
Amsterdam,  with  orders  to  Governor  Stuyvesant  to 
resist  any  further  encroachments  of  the  English,  and 
to  reduce  the  revolted  villages  to  allegiance.  It 
was  easy  for  the  States-General  to  issue  such  an  or- 
der, but  it  was  not  so  easy  for  Governor  Stuyvesant 
to  execute  it.  The  Assembly  was  immediately  call- 
ed together  again,  and  the  documents  from  Holland 
presented  to  them.  After  much  deliberation  it  was 
decided  to  be  impossible,  with  the  force  at  the  gov- 
ernor's command,  to  subdue  the  English  villages. 
In  those  villages  it  was  said  that  the  Dutch  were 


HOSTILE   MEASURES  COMMENCED.  283 

outnumbered  six  to  one;  and  that  upon  the  out* 
break  of  hostilities,  the  flourishing  settlements  on 
the  Connecticut  would  immediately  send  such  a 
force  to  Long  Island,  as  would  enable  them  to  over- 
come and  take  possession  of  all  the  other  villages. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  Esopus  Indians 
had  been  completely  humbled,  and  almost  annihila- 
ted. The  tribe  living  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
the  village  of  Esopus,  had  been  slaughtered  or  driven 
from  their  lands.  The  survivors  had  taken  refuge 
with  other  neighboring  tribes,  who  were  more  or 
less  in  sympathy  with  them.  Thus  while  there  was 
a  cessation  of  actual  war,  hostility  continued.  No 
terms  of  peace  had  been  agreed  to,  and  there  could 
be  no  friendly  intercourse. 

News  reached  Governor  Stuyvesant  that  the 
Connecticut  people,  in  their  intrigues  to  get  posses- 
sion of  New  Netherland,  were  tampering  with  these 
river  Indians,  endeavoring  to  enter  into  a  treaty  of 
alliance,  offensive  and  defensive  with  them.  It  was 
consequently  deemed  desirable  immediately  to  se- 
cure a  general  peace  with  these  Indians. 

The  sachems  of  several  tribes  were  invited  to  as- 
semble in  the  Council  Chamber  at  fort  Amsterdam. 
The  governor  with  nine  of  his  council,  met  them. 
It  is  worthy  of  special  notice  that,  the  preliminaries 
being  settled,  one  of  the  Indian  chiefs   offered  an 


284  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

earnest  prayer.  First  he  called  several  times,  with 
a  loud  voice,  upon  the  Great  Spirit  to  hear  him 
In  his  language  Bachtamo  was  the  name  for  God. 

u  Oh  Bachtamo,"  he  said,  u  help  us  to  make  a 
good  treaty  with  the  Dutch.  And  may  the  treaty 
we  are  about  to  negotiate  be  like  the  stick  I  hold  in 
my  hand.  Like  this  stick  may  it  be  firmly  united, 
the  one  end  to  the  other." 

Then  turning  to  the  governor,  he  said,  "  We  all 
desire  peace.  I  have  come  with  my  brother  sa- 
chems, in  behalf  of  the  Esopus  Indians,  to  conclude  a 
peace  as  firm  and  compact  as  my  arms,  which  I  now 
fold  together." 

Then  presenting  his  hand  to  Governor  Stuyve- 
sant  he  added,  u  What  I  now  say  is  from  the  fullness 
of  my  heart.  Such  is  my  desire,  and  that  of  all  my 
people." 

A  solemn  treaty  was  soon  negotiated.  It  was 
signed  the  next  day,  and  the  event  was  celebrated 
by  salvos  of  artillery.  On  the  whole,  the  terms  were 
fair,  but  rather  hard  for  the  Indians.  The  treaty  is 
concisely  given  by  O'Callaghan  in  the  following 
words : 

14  By  its  terms  all  that  had  passed  was  to  be  for- 
ever forgotten  and  forgiven.  The  land,  already 
given  to  the  Dutch  as  an  indemnity,  and  now  again 
conquered  by  the  sword,  the  two  forts  belonging  to 


HOSTILE  MEASURES  COMMENCED.  285 

the  Indians  included,  became  the  property  of  the 
christians.  The  savages  were  not  to  return  thither 
to  plant,  nor  to  visit  the  village,  or  any  remote 
Dutch  settlements  with  or  without  arms.  But  as  it 
was  not  intended  to  expel  them  altogether  from  the 
country,  they  were  permitted  to  plant  near  their 
new  fort,  and  this  year  only,  by  their  old  castle,  as 
they  had  already  placed  some  seed  in  the  ground 
there.  But  the  lands,  in  the  neighborhood  of  these 
forts,  having  been  conquered,  were  to  belong  to  the 
Dutch. 

"  To  prevent  all  future  collision,  no  savage 
should  hereafter  approach  the  place  where  the 
christians  were  ploughing,  pasturing,  sowing  or  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  labor.  The  violation  of  this 
article  was  to  subject  them  to  arrest.  They  might 
sell  meat  or  maize  at  the  Ronduit,  in  parties  of 
three  canoes  at  a  time,  but  only  on  condition  that 
they  sent  a  flag  of  truce  beforehand  to  give  no- 
tice of  their  approach.  For  their  accommodation, 
on  such  occasions,  a  house  was  to  be  built  beyond 
the  kill. 

<4  Should  a  Dutchman  kill  an  Indian,  or  an  In 
dian  a  Dutchman,  no  war  was  to  be  declared.  A 
complaint  was  to  be  lodged  against  the  murderer, 
who  should  be  hanged  in  the  presence  of  both  the 
contracting  parties.     All  damages,  by  the  killing  of 


286  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

cattle,  were  to  be  paid  for ;  and  this  treaty  was  to 
be  annually  ratified  by  the  Esopus  Indians.  The 
Hackingsack  and  Staten  Island  sachems  were  se- 
curity for  the  faithful  observance  of  this  contract ; 
and  were  bound  to  co-operate  against  either  the 
Esopus  Indians  or  the  Dutch,  whichever  might  vio- 
late its  terms." 

The  peace  thus  secured  gave  universal  satisfac- 
tion in  the  Dutch  settlements.  Governor  Stuyve- 
sant  devoutly  proclaimed  a  day  of  general  thanks- 
giving to  God  for  the  great  blessing. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  John  Scott  had 
received  a  commission  from  Connecticut,  and  it 
was  expected  that,  as  their  agent,  he  would  cause 
the  English  towns  on  western  Long  Island  to  be 
annexed  to  the  Connecticut  province.  Instead 
of  this,  those  towns  declared  themselves  indepen- 
dent, and  Scott  allowed  himself  to  be  chosen  their 
president.  The  Court  at  Hartford,  upon  being 
made  acquainted  with  these  facts,  was  very  in- 
d'gnant.  A  proclamation  was  soon  issued  by 
the  Assembly  of  Connecticut,  charging  Scott  with 
various  high  crimes  and  misdemeanors,  and  or- 
dering his  arrest.  A  party  of  soldiers  was  sent 
under  the  command  of  John  Allyn,  secretary,  "  to 
seize  on  the  body  of  John  Scott."  Mr.  Allyn 
returned    to   the    Honorable     Court     the     follow- 


HOSTILE  MEASURES  COMMENCED.  287 

ing    interesting    report    of  his    procedure   on   the 
occasion : 

"  When  we  came  within  sight  of  the  house  of 
John  Scott  we  saw  him  draw  forth  those  men 
which  came  from  New  Haven  to  aid  him,  with 
some  others,  unto  a  body.  When  we  came  up  to- 
wards the  house,  within  twenty  or  thirty  rods  there- 
of, John  Scott  commanded  us,  in  his  Majesty's  name 
to  stand,  upon  our  peril.  John  Scott  charged  us 
in  his  Majesty's  name,  to  get  off  from  his  land. 
John  Scott  desired  to  know  what  our  business  was. 

"  Then  it  was  replied,  by  Nathaniel  Seely,  that 
he  desired  a  parley.  John  Scott  granted  a  parley, 
and  we  met,  each  of  us  with  a  couple  of  musketeers. 
Then  Nathaniel  Seely  told  him  that  he  had  come 
to  arrest  him,  and  read  the  commission  unto  him. 
When  it  was  read  Seely  demanded  of  him  whether 
he  would  surrender  himself  according  to  commis- 
sion ? 

"  John  Scott  replied  that  he  would  sacrifice  his 
heart's  blood  on  the  ground,  before  he  would  yield 
to  him  or  any  of  Connecticut  jurisdiction.  With 
that  the  New  Haven  men  answered,  '  So  will  we.' 
John  Scott  said,  *  Stay  awhile  and  I  will  fetch  you  a 
letter,  from  under  Governor  Winthrop's  hand,  which 
I  do  not  question  much  will  satisfy  you.'  So  he 
went  into  the  house  and  fetched  it  forth  and  read  it 


288  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

before   us,  bearing  date   as   he  said,  of  March   25, 
1664. 

"  It  was  concerning  the  governor's  desiring  him 
to  meet  him  to  end  some  difference  in  the  Narragan- 
sett  country  about  a  tract  of  land.  John  Scott 
said,  i  If  you  will  return  to  your  body,  I  will  fetch 
a  commission  under  his  Majesty's  hand,  which  shall 
command  you  all.'  Whereupon  he  made  a  flourish 
and  said  that  he  would  go  down  unto  the  face  of  the 
company  and  read  it,  and  he  would  see  if  the  proud- 
est of  them  all  dared  to  lay  hands  upon  him.  -  Lea- 
thern,' said  he,  '  take  me  if  they  dare.' 

"  Then  he  came  down  to  the  head  of  the  com 
pany,  and  read  the  commission,  which  he  said  had 
the  seal  manual  upon  it.  Whereupon  he  renewed 
his  challenge  that  he  would  see  if  the  proudest  of 
them  all  dared  to  lay  hands  upon  him.  Then 
Nathaniel  Seely  arrested  him  in  his  Majesty's  name 
to  go  with  him  according  to  law." 

Scott  was  taken  to  Hartford  and  thrown  into 
jail,  where,  it  is  said,  he  experienced  much  harsh 
usage.  Soon  after  this  Governor  John  Winthrop, 
from  Hartford,  visited  the  English  Long  Island 
towns,  removed  the  officers  appointed  by  Scott,  and 
installed  others  who  would  be  devoted  tc  the  inter- 
ests of  Connecticut. 

Governor  Stuyvesant  being  informed  of  his  pres* 


HOSTILE   MEASURES   COMMENCED.  289 

ence,  immediately  crossed  the  East  river  to  Long 
Island,  to  meet  the  Connecticut  governor,  who  was 
thus  encroaching  upon  the  Dutch  domains.  He 
urged  upon  Governor  Winthrop  the  claims  of  Hol- 
land upon  New  Netherland,  by  the  apparently 
indubitable  title  of  discovery,  purchase  and  posses- 
sion, as  well  as  by  the  clearly  defined  obligations  of 
the  Hartford  treaty  of  1650.  It  will  be  remembered 
that  by  that  treaty  it  was  expressly  agreed  that, 

"  Upon  Long  Island  a  line  run  from  the  western- 
most part  of  Oyster  Bay,  in  a  straight  and  direct 
line  to  the  sea,  shall  be  the  bounds  between  the 
English  and  the  Dutch  there  ;  the  easterly  part  to 
belong  to  the  English,  the  westernmost  part  to  the 
Dutch." 

But  here  was  Governor  Winthrop,  in  total  dis- 
regard of  this  treaty,  many  miles  west  of  this  line, 
endeavoring  to  wrest  several  towns  from  the  Dutch 
dominion,  and  to  annex  them  to  the  Connecticut 
colony.  All  Governor  Stuyvesant's  arguments  were 
unavailing.  Governor  Winthrop  paid  no  heed  to 
them.  He  knew  very  well  that  the  Dutch  governor 
had  no  military  power  with  which  to  enforce  his 
claims.  Governor  Winthrop  therefore  contented 
himself  with  simply  declaring  that  the  whole  of 
Long  Island  belonged  to  the  king  of  England. 

'*  All  Governor  Stuyvesant  could  adduce, ' '  writes 


29O  PETER   5TUYVESANT. 

O'Callaghan,  rt  was  of  no  avail.  The  country  was 
the  king's,  the  people  his  subjects.  When  priority 
of  title  from  the  Indians  was  invoked,  those  from 
whom  the  Dutch  purchased  were,  it  was  replied, 
not  the  right  owners  and  had  no  right  to  sell.  But 
when  deeds  which  the  English  held  from  natives, 
happened  to  be  older  than  those  of  their  opponents, 
then  the  title  could  not  be  gainsayed.  All  must  be 
received  without  contradiction. 

"The  truth  is,  the  Directors  in  Holland  were 
mistaken  in  their  reliance  upon  Winthrop's  friend- 
ship. He  now  manifested  the  greatest  hostility  to 
the  Dutch,  and  was  the  head  and  front  of  all  the 
opposition  they  experienced.  He  was  no  doubt 
well-advised  of  the  designs  of  the  Duke  of  York, 
and  of  his  brother  the  king  of  England,  which  were 
about  to  develop  themselves  against  this  province." 

While  New  Netherland  was  thus  fearfully  men- 
aced by  England,  the  internal  affairs  of  the  province 
were  in  a  state  of  prosperity.  The  rich  soil  was 
producing  abundant  harvests  and  farms  were  extend- 
ing in  all  directions.  Emigrants  were  continually 
arriving  and  were  delighted  with  their  new  homes. 
The  population  of  the  province  now  amounted  to 
full  ten  thousand.  New  Amsterdam  was  a  flourish- 
ing city,  containing  fifteen  hundred  inhabitants. 

This  prosperity  excited  both  the  jealousy   and 


HOSTILE   MEASURES   COMMENCED.  2CjI 

the  covetousness  of  the  British  court.  The  king 
resolved,  by  one  bold  blow,  to  rob  Holland  of  all  her 
American  possessions.  On  the  12th  of  March,  1664, 
the  king  of  England  granted  to  his  brother  James, 
the  Duke  of  York,  the  whole  of  Long  Island,  all 
the  islands  in  its  neighborhood,  and  all  the  lands 
and  rivers  from  the  west  side  of  Connecticut  river 
to  the  east  side  of  Delaware  Bay.  This  sweeping 
grant  included  the  whole  of  New  Netherland. 
This  was  emphatically  expelling  the  Dutch  from  the 
New  World. 

The  first  intimation  Governor  Stuyvesant  re- 
ceived of  this  alarming  movement  came  to  him 
from  Boston.  A  young  man,  named  Ford,  brought 
the  tidings  to  New  Amsterdam  that  a  fleet  of  armed 
ships  had  sailed  from  the  naval  depot  in  Portsmouth, 
England,  to  enter  the  Hudson  river  and  take  posses- 
sion of  the  whole  territory.  This  intelligence  created 
not  a  little  panic.  The  governor  summoned  his 
council,  and  it  was  decided  to  exert  every  energy 
in  fortifying  the  city.  The  hostile  fleet  might  make 
its  appearance  any  day. 

Money  was  raised.  Powder  was  ordered  from 
the  forts  on  the  Delaware.  Agents  were  sent  to 
New  Haven  to  purchase  provisions.  As  it  was 
expected  that  the  fleet  would  come  through  the 
Sound,  agents   were  stationed  along   the  shore,  to 


292  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

transmit  the  tidings  of  its  approach,  so  soon  as  the 
sails  should  be  seen  in  the  distant  horizon.  Several 
vessels  on  the  point  of  sailing  with  supplies  to 
Curaeoa  were  detained. 

So  secretly  had  the  British  government  moved 
in  this  enterprise,  that  the  governmental  authorities, 
in  Holland,  had  not  the  slightest  suspicion  of  the 
peril  to  which  their  colony  in  New  Netherland  was 
exposed.  At  the  moment  when  all  was  agitation 
in  New  Amsterdam,  and  every  hand  was  busy  pre- 
paring for  the  defence,  Governor  Stuyvesant  received 
dispatches  from  Holland,  assuring  him  that  no  ap- 
prehension of  danger  from  England  need  be  enter- 
tained. 

"The  king  of  England,"  it  was  said,  u  is  only 
desirous  of  reducing  his  colonies  to  uniformity  in 
Church  and  State.  With  this  view  he  has  dispatched 
some  commissioners  with  two  or  three  frigates,  to 
New  England,  to  introduce  Episcopacy  in  that 
quarter." 

It  was  supposed  in  Holland,  that  this  intolerant 
policy  would  strengthen  the  Dutch  interests  in 
America;  that  the  religious  freedom,  which  the 
States-General  insisted  upon,  would  invite  to  New 
Netherland  from  all  the  countries  of  Europe,  those 
who  were  not  willing  to  conform  to  the  doctrines 
and  ritual  of  the  Church  of  England. 


HOSTILE   MEASURES  COMMENCED.  293 

Governor  Stuyvesant,  upon  receiving  these  dis- 
patches from  the  home  government,  felt  relieved  of 
all  anxiety.  He  had  no  doubt  that  the  previous 
rumor  which  had  reached  him  was  false.  Neither 
he  nor  his  council  anticipated  any  difficulty.  The 
whole  community  indulged  in  the  sense  of  security. 
The  work  on  the  fortifications  was  stopped ;  the 
vessels  sailed  to  Curacoa,  and  the  governor  went 
up  the  river  to  fort  Orange.  A  desolating  war 
had  broken  out  between  the  Indian  tribes  there, 
which  raged  with  such  ferocity  that  the  colonists 
were  full  of  alarm  for  their  own  lives  and  prop- 
erty. 

But  the  English  fleet  was  rapidly  approaching. 
It  consisted  of  four  frigates,  containing  in  all  an 
armament  of  ninety-four  guns.  This  was  a  force  to 
which  defenceless  New  Amsterdam  could  present  no 
resistance. 

The  fleet  put  into  Boston  the  latter  part  of  July, 
and  the  commissioners  applied  to  both  Massachu- 
setts and  Connecticut  for  aid  in  their  military  expe- 
dition against  the  Dutch.  But  the  Puritans  of 
Massachusetts  found  innumerable  obstacles  in  the 
way  of  rendering  any  assistance.  They  feared  that 
the  king  of  England,  having  reduced  the  Dutch, 
would  be  induced  to  extend  his  arbitrary  sway,  both 
civil  and  religious,  over   those  colonists  who  were 


294  FETER  STUYVESANT. 

exiles  from  their  native  land,  simply  that  they  might 
enjoy  freedom  to  worship  God. 

Connecticut,  however,  hoped  that  the  conquest  of 
New  Netherland  might  annex  the  magnificent  do 
main  to  their  own  region.  Governor  Winthrop,  of 
Hartford,  manifested  so  much  alacrity  in  the  cause, 
that  he  was  invited  to  meet  the  British  squadron, 
at  the  west  end  of  Long  Island,  to  which  point  it 
would  sail  with  the  first  fair  wind. 

Colonel  Richard  Nicholls  was  in  command  of  the 
expedition.  Three  commissioners  were  associated 
with  him.  They  had  received  instructions  to  visit 
the  several  New  England  colonies,  and  to  require 
them,  "  to  join  and  assist  vigorously  in  reducing 
the  Dutch  to  subjection.''  The  Duke  of  York,  soon 
after  the  departure  of  the  squadron,  conveyed  to 
Lord  Berkeley  and  Sir  George  Carteret  all  the  terri- 
tory between  the  Hudson  and  Delaware  rivers,  from 
Cape  May  north  to  forty-one  degrees  and  forty 
minutes  of  latitude,  "  hereafter  to  be  called  Nova 
Caesarea  or  New  Jersey.'' 

A  friend  of  Governor  Stuyvesant,  in  Boston,  sent 
word  to  New  Amsterdam  of  the  arrival  of  the  fleet 
and  its  destination.  An  express  was  instantly  dis- 
patched to  Albany  to  recall  the  Governor.  He  hur- 
ried back  to  the  capitol,  much  chagrined  by  the 
thought  that  he  had  lost  three  weeks.     Every  able 


HOSTILE  MEASURES  COMMENCED.  295 

bodied  man  was  immediately  summoned  to  work  at 
the  city  defences,  u  with  spade,  shovel  and  wheel- 
barrow." This  working  party  was  divided  into  three 
classes,  one  of  which  was  to  labor  every  day.  A 
permanent  guard  was  organized.  The  brewers  were 
forbidden  to  malt  any  more  grain,  that  it  all  might 
be  reserved  for  food.  Six  pieces  of  cannon  were 
added  to  the  fourteen  already  mounted.  The  gar- 
rison at  Esopus  was  summoned  to  the  defence. 

About  the  20th  of  August,  the  English  squad- 
ron anchored  in  Nyack  Bay,  just  below  the  Narrows, 
between  New  Utrecht  and  Coney  Island.  A  stiict 
blockade  of  the  river  was  established.  All  commu- 
nication between  Long  Island  and  Manhattan  was 
cut  off.  Several  vessels  were  captured.  Upon 
Staten  Island,  about  three  miles  from  where  the 
frigates  rode  at  anchor,  there  was  a  small  fort,  a 
block-house,  about  twenty  feet  square.  It  had 
been  constructed  for  defence  against  the  savages. 
For  its  armament  it  had  two  small  guns,  carrying 
one  pound  balls,  and  a  garrison  of  six  old  invalid 
soldiers.  A  part/  was  sent  on  shore,  in  the  boats, 
which  captured  the  fort  and  also  a  lot  of  cattle. 

The  next  morning,  which  was  Saturday,  Colonel 
Nicholls  sent  a  delegation  of  four  men  up  to  fort 
Amsterdam,  with  a  summons  for  the  surrender  of 
1  the  town  situated  on  the  island  commonly  known 


296  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

by  the  name  of  Manhattoes,  with  all  the  forts  there- 
unto belonging."  At  the  same  time  proclamations 
were  scattered  abroad,  forbidding  the  farmers  from 
furnishing  any  supplies  to  the  Dutch  garrison,  under 
penalty  of  having  their  houses  fired.  All  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  surrounding  villages,  who  would  quiet- 
ly submit  to  his  Britannic  Majesty,  were  promised 
the  safe  possession  of  their  property.  Those  who 
should  otherwise  demean  themselves  were  threaten- 
ed with  all  the  miseries  of  war. 

Governor  Stuyvesant  had  but  one  hundred  sol- 
diers in  garrison.  He  could  not  place  much  reliance 
upon  the  aid  of  undisciplined  citizens.  Still  his 
brave  spirit  was  disposed  to  present  a  desperate 
resistance.  He  called  his  council  together,  but 
was  unwilling  to  have  the  people  know  the  nature 
of  the  summons,  lest  they  should  clamor  for  a  sur- 
render. 

But  the  citizens  held  a  meeting,  voted  in  favor 
of  non-resistance,  and  demanded  an  authentic  copy 
of  the  communication,  which  had  been  received  from 
the  commander  of  the  English  fleet.  They  adjourn- 
ed to  meet  on  Monday  morning  to  receive  the  re- 
ply. Governor  Stuyvesant  was  greatly  distressed. 
After  the  Sabbath  he  went  to  the  meeting  in  per- 
son, and  endeavored  to  convince  those  present  of 
the  impropriety  of  their  demands.     But  the  citizens, 


HOSTILE   MEASURES  COMMENCED.  297 

trembling  in  view  of  the  bombardment  of  the  town, 
were  in  no  mood  to  listen  to  his  persuasions. 

It  was  not  needful  for  the  English  to  be  in  any 
hurry.  The  prey  was  entirely  within  their  grasp 
It  will  be  remembered  that  Governor  Winthrop  of 
Hartford,  had  joined  the  expedition.  Colonel  Nich- 
olls  addressed  a  letter  to  Governor  Winthrop,  re- 
questing him  to  visit  the  city  under  a  flag  of  truce, 
and  communicate  the  contents  to  Governor  Stuy- 
vesant.  The  Dutch  governor  came  out  of  the  fort 
to  receive  the  letter,  and  then  returned  into  the  fort 
to  read  it.     The  following  was  the  letter : 

"  Mr.  Winthrop  : — 

"  As  to  those  particulars  you  spoke  to  me,  I  do  assure  you  that  if 
the  Manhadoes  be  delivered  up  to  his  Majesty,  I  shall  not  hinder  but 
any  people  from  the  Netherlands  may  freely  come  and  plant  there 
or  thereabouts.  And  such  vessels  of  their  own  country,  may  freely 
come  thither.  And  any  of  them  may  as  freely  return  home,  in 
vessels  of  their  own  country ;  and  this  and  much  more  is  contained 
in  the  privilege  of  his  Majesty's  English  subjects.  This  much  you 
may,  by  what  means  you  please,  assure  the  governor  from,  Sir,  your  af- 
fectionate  servant, 

Richard  Nicholls." 

August  22,  1664.  O.  S. 

The  Council  demanded  that  this  letter  should 
be  exhibited  to  the  people.  The  governor  refused, 
saying  that  it  would  be  quite  unfavorable  to  the  de- 
fence to  communicate  such  intelligence  to  the  inhab- 
itants. As  the  council  persisted,  the  governor,  in  a 
13* 


298  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

passion,  tore  up  the  letter  and  trampled  it  beneath 
his  feet.  The  rumor  spread  rapidly  that  a  flag  of 
truce  had  come. 

The  citizens  collected  in  a  large  and  excited 
gathering,  and  sent  a  delegation  of  three  persons  to 
demand  of  the  governor  the  communication  which 
he  had  received  from  the  hostile  fleet.  Threats 
were  uttered.  Curses  were  heard.  Resistance  was 
declared  to  be  madness.  The  universal  voice  clam- 
ored for  the  letter.  The  community  was  upon  the 
eve  of  mutiny. 

At  length  Stuyvesant  yielded.  A  copy  of  the 
letter  was  made  out  from  the  fragments,  and  it  was 
read  to  the  people.  This  increased  their  disposition 
to  capitulate.  Still  the  indomitable  governor  could 
not  endure  the  thought  of  surrendering  the  majestic 
province  of  New  Netherland  to  a  force  of  four  frig- 
ates. He  regarded  the  movement,  on  the  part  of 
the  English,  as  an  atrocious  act  of  highway  robbery. 
But  he  was  well  aware  that  there  was  no  escape 
from  the  sacrifice. 

In  the  night  he  sent  a  vessel,  "  silently  through 
Hell  Gate,"  to  the  Directors  in  Holland,  with  the 
following  laconic  dispatch.  "  Long  Island  is  gone 
and  lost.  The  capitol  cannot  hold  out  long." 
When  a  man's  heart  is  broken  his  words  aie  few. 

Much  of  the  night  the  governor  spent  in  draw* 


HOSTILE    MEASURES   COMMENCED.  2(J9 

ing  up  a  strong  remonstrance,  in  answer  to  the  mes- 
sage of  Colonel  Nicholls.  All  the  argument  was 
with  the  Dutch.  All  the  force  was  with  the  Eng- 
lish. But  when  argument  and  force  come  into  col- 
lision in  this  wicked  world,  argument  must  general- 
ly yield. 

In  the  very  able  manifesto  of  the  governor,  he 
traced  the  history  of  the  country  from  the  earliest 
period  to  the  present  time.  He  deduced  the  title 
of  the  Dutch,  to  the  territory,  from  the  three  great 
principles  of  Discovery,  Settlement,  and  Purchase 
from  the  Indians.  He  severely  denounced  the  pre- 
tence, now  put  forth  by  the  English,  that  his,  "  Bri- 
tannic Majesty  had  an  indisputable  right  to  all  the 
lands  in  the  north  parts  of  America."  Courteously 
he  added  that  he  was  confident  that  if  his  Majesty 
had  been  well  informed  in  the  premises,  his  high 
sense  of  justice  would  have  dissuaded  him  from  au- 
thorizing the  present  hostile  demonstration.  In 
conclusion   he  said, 

11  In  case  you  will  act  by  force  of  arms,  we  protest 
before  God  and  man,  that  you  will  perform  an  act 
of  unjust  violence.  You  will  violate  the  articles  of 
peace  solemnly  ratified  by  his  Majesty  of  England, 
and  my  Lords  the  States-General.  Again  for  the 
prevention  of  the  spilling  of  innocent  blood,  n  3t  only 
here  but   in  Europe,  we  offer  you  a  treaty  by  our 


300  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

deputies.  As  regards  your  threats  we  have  no  an- 
swer to  make,  only  that  we  fear  nothing  but  what 
God  may  lay  upon  us.  All  things  are  at  His  dispo- 
sal, and  we  can  be  preserved  by  Him  with  smal] 
forces  as  well  as  by  a  great  army." 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
The  Capture  of  New  Amsterdam. 

The  Approach  of  the  Fleet. — The  Governor  Unjustly  Censured.— The 
Flag  of  Truce. — The  Haughty  Response. — The  Remonstrance. — 
The  Defenceless  City. — The  Surrender. — The  Expedition  to  the 
Delaware. — Sack  and  Plunder. — Change  of  Name. — Testimony 
to  the  Dutch  Government. — Death  of  the  Governor. — His  farm, 
or  Bouwerie. — War  Between  Holland  and  England. — New  York 
Menaced  by  the  Dutch. 

The  only  response  which  Colonel  Nicholls 
deigned  to  make  to  the  remonstrance  of  Governor 
Stuyvesant,  was  to  put  his  fleet  in  motion.  A  party 
of  soldiers,  infantry  and  cavalry,  was  landed  on  Long 
Island,  and  they  advanced  rapidly  through  the 
forest,  to  the  little  cluster  of  huts  which  were 
scattered  along  the  silent  and  solitary  shores  of 
Brooklyn.  These  troops  were  generally  volunteers 
from  Connecticut  and  from  the  English  settlements 
on  Long  Island. 

The  fleet  then  ascended  through  the  Narrows, 
and  two  of  the  frigates  disembarked  a  number  of 
regular  troops  just  below  Brooklyn,  to  support  the 
volunteers.      Two   of  the   frigates,    one   mounting 


302  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

thirty-six  guns,  and  the  other  thirty,  coming  up 
under  full  sail,  passed  directly  within  range  of  the 
guns  of  the  fort,  and  cast  anchor  between  the  fort 
and  Nutten  or  Governor's  Island. 

Stuyvesant  stood  at  one  of  the  angles  of  the  fort- 
ress as  the  frigates  passed  by.  It  was  a  critical 
moment.  The  fate  of  the  city  and  the  lives  of  its 
inhabitants  trembled  in  the  balance.  The  guns 
were  loaded  and  shotted,  and  the  gunners  stood  by 
with  their  burning  matches.  A  word  from  the  im- 
petuous Stuyvesant  would  have  opened  upon  the 
city  all  the  horrors  of  a  bombardment.  There  were 
but  about  twenty  guns  in  the  fort.  There  were 
sixty-six  in  the  two  frigates,  whose  portholes 
were  opened  upon  the  city ;  and  there  were  two 
other  frigates  just  at  hand,  prepared  to  bring  twenty- 
eight  guns  more  into  the  fray. 

As  Governor  Stuyvesant  stood  at  that  point, 
burning  with  indignation,  with  the  word  to  fire 
almost  upon  his  lips,  the  two  clergymen  of  the  place, 
Messrs.  Megapolensis  and  son,  came  up  and  en- 
treated him  not  to  be  the  first  to  shed  blood  in  a 
hopeless  conflict.  Their  persuasions  induced  the 
governor  to  leave  the  rampart,  and  intrusting  the 
defence  of  the  fort  to  fifty  men,  to  take  the  remain- 
der of  the  garrison,  one  hundred  in  number,  to  repel 
if  possible,  the  English,  should  they  attempt  a  land- 


THE  CAPTURE  OF  NEW  AMSTERDAM.    303 

ing.  The  governor  still  cherished  a  faint  hope  that 
some  accommodation  could  yet  be  agreed  upon. 

The  Directors  in  Holland  subsequently,  with 
great  severity  and,  as  we  think,  with  great  injustice, 
censured  Governor  Stuyvesant  for  his  conduct  on 
this  occasion.  The  whole  population  of  the  little 
city  was  but  fifteen  hundred.  Of  them  not  more 
than  two  hundred  and  fifty  were  able  to  bear  arms, 
in  addition  to  the  one  hundred  and  fifty  regular 
troops  in  garrison.  And  yet  the  Directors  in  Hol- 
land wrote,  in  the  following  cruel  terms,  to  the 
heroic  governor: 

"  It  is  an  act  which  can  never  be  justified,  that  a 
Director  General  should  stand  between  the  gabions, 
while  the  hostile  frigates  pass  the  fort,  and  the 
mouths  of  twenty  pieces  of  cannon,  and  yet  give 
no  orders  to  prevent  it.  It  is  unpardonable  that  he 
should  lend  his  ear  to  preachers,  and  other  chicken- 
hearted  persons,  demeaning  himself  as  if  he  were 
willing  to  fire,  and  yet  to  allow  himself  to  be  led  in 
from  the  bulwark  between  the  preachers.  When 
the  frigates  had  sailed  past,  he  became  so  troubled 
that  he  must  then  first  go  out  to  prevent  their  land- 
ing. The  excuse,  that  it  was  resolved  not  to  begin 
hostilities,  is  very  poor,  for  the  English  had  com- 
mitted every  hostile  act.'' 

The    governor    immediately    sent    to    ColoneJ 


304  FETER   STUYVESANT. 

Nicholls  a  flag  of  truce  conveyed  by  four  of  the 
most  distinguished  officers  of  State.  Through  them 
he  said : 

"  I  feel  obliged  to  defend  the  city,  in  obedience 
to  orders.  It  is  inevitable  that  much  blood  will  be 
shed  on  the  occurrence  of  the  assault.  Cannot  some 
accommodation  yet  be  agreed  upon  ?  Friends  will 
be  welcome  if  they  come  in  a  friendly  manner." 

The  laconic,  decisive  and  insulting  response  of 
Colonel  Nicholls  was  :  "  I  have  nothing  to  do  but 
to  execute  my  mission.  To  accomplish  that  I  hope 
to  have  further  conversation  with  you  on  the  mor- 
row, at  the  Manhattans.  You  say  that  friends  will 
be  welcome,  if  they  come  in  a  friendly  manner.  I 
shall  come  with  ships  and  soldiers.  And  he  will  be 
bold  indeed  who  will  dare  to  come  on  board  my 
ships,  to  demand  an  answer  or  to  solicit  terms. 
What  then  is  to  be  done  ?  Hoist  the  white  flag 
of  surrender,  and  then  something  may  be  consid 
ered." 

When  this  imperious  message  became  known  it 
created  the  greatest  consternation  throughout  the 
city.  Men,  women  and  children  flocked  to  the 
governor,  and,  with  tears  in  their  eyes,  implored 
him  to  submit.  A  brief  bombardment  would  cause 
the  death  of  hundreds,  and  would  lay  the  city  in 
ashes.     "  I  had  rather,"  the  governor  replied,  "  be 


THE  CAPTURE   OF  NEW  AMSTERDAM.  30$ 

carried  a  corpse  to  my  grave,  than  to  surrender  the 
city." 

The  civic  authority,  the  clergy  and  the  com- 
manders  of  the  Burgher  corps,  promptly  assembled 
in  the  City  Hall  and  drew  up  the  following  earnest 
remonstrance,  which  was  immediately  presented  to 
the  governor  and  his  council.  We  give  it  slightly 
abbreviated. 

"  Right  Honorable  !  We,  your  sorrowful  sub- 
jects, beg  to  represent,  in  these  sad  circumstances, 
that  having  maturely  weighed  what  was  necessary 
to  be  done,  we  cannot  foresee,  for  this  fort  and  city 
of  Manhattans,  in  further  resistance,  aught  else  than 
misery,  sorrow,  and  conflagration  ;  the  dishonor  of 
women,  the  murder  of  children,  and  in  a  word  the 
absolute  ruin  of  fifteen  hundred  innocent  souls,  only 
two  hundred  and  fifty  of  whom  are  capable  of  bear- 
ing arms. 

"  You  are  aware  that  four  of  the  English  king's 
frigates  are  now  in  the  roadstead,  with  six  hundred 
soldiers  on  board.  They  have  also  commissions 
to  all  the  governors  of  New  England,  a  populous 
and  thickly  inhabited  country,  to  impress  troops,  in 
addition  to  the  forces  already  on  board,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  reducing  New  Netherland  to  his  Majesty's 
obedience. 

"  These  threats  we  would  not  have  regarded, 
could  we  expect  the  smallest  aid.  But,  God  help 
us,  where  shall  we  turn  for  assistance,  to  the  north 


306  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

or  to  the  south,  to  the  east  or  to  the  west  ?  'Tia 
all  in  vain.  On  all  sides  we  are  encompassed  and 
hemmed  in  by  our  enemies.  If,  on  the  other 
hand,  we  examine  our  internal  strength,  alas!  it  is  so 
feeble  and  impotent  that  unless  we  ascribe  tke  cir- 
cumstance to  the  mercy  of  God,  we  cannot  sufficient 
\y  express  our  astonishment  that  the  foe  should 
have  granted  us  so  long  a  reprieve.  He  could 
have  delivered  us  a  prey  to  the  soldiery  after  one 
summons. 

"  We  shall  now  examine  your  Honors'  fortress. 
You  know  that  it  is  incapable  of  making  head  three 
days,  against  so  powerful  an  enemy.  Even  could 
it  hold  out  one,  two,  three,  four,  five  or  six  months, 
which  to  our  sorrow  it  cannot  do,  it  is  still  undenia- 
ble that  it  cannot  save  the  smallest  portion  of  our 
entire  city,  our  property  and  what  is  dearer  to  us,  our 
wives  and  children,  from  total  ruin.  And  after  con- 
siderable bloodshed  the  fort  itself  could  not  be  pre- 
served. 

u  Wherefore,  to  prevent  the  aforesaid  misfor- 
tunes, we  humbly,  and  in  bitterness  of  heart,  implore 
your  Honors  not  to  reject  the  conditions  of  so  gen- 
erous a  foe,  but  to  be  pleased  to  meet  him  in  the 
speediest,  best  and  most  reputable  manner.  Other- 
wise, which  God  forbid,  we  are  obliged  to  protest 
before  God  and  the  world  ;  and  to  call  down  upon 
your  Honors  the  vengeance  of  Heaven  for  all  the 
innocent  blood  which  shall  be  shed  in  consequence 
of  your  Honors'  obstinacy  ;  inasmuch  as  the  commis- 
sioners have  this  day  informed  us  that  the  English 


THE  CAPTURE  OF  NEW  AMSTERDAM.    307 

general  has  stated  that   he  shall  not  wait  any  long- 
er than  this  day. 

"  We  trust  your  Honors  will  not  question  that  tc 
God,  who  seeks  not  the  death  of  the  sinner,  belongs 
obedience  rather  than  to  man.  We  feel  certain 
that  your  Honors  will  exhibit  yourselves,  in  this 
pressing  exigency  and  sorrowful  season,  as  men  and 
christians,  and  conclude  with  God's  help,  an  honor- 
able and  reasonable  capitulation.  May  the  Lord 
our  God  be  pleased  to  grant  this  to  us,  Amen  " 

The  above  memorial  was  signed  by  ninety-four 
of  the  most  prominent  citizens  of  New  Amsterdam 
One  of  these  signers  was  the  governor's  son.  All 
our  readers  will  perceive  that  the  situation  of  the 
governor  had  become  one  of  extreme  difficulty.  A 
fleet  and  army  of  great  strength  for  the  time  and 
the  occasion  were  before  him.  This  force  held  in 
reserve  the  whole  military  power  of  New  England. 
The  civic  officers  and  citizens  of  New  Amsterdam, 
headed  by  the  governor's  own  son,  were  loud  in 
their  remonstrance  against  any  defence,  and  were 
almost  in  a  state  of  mutiny. 

The  condition  of  the  city  was  such  that  the  idea 
of  standing  a  siege  was  not  for  a  moment  to  be 
thought  of.  Along  the  banks  of  the  North  and 
East  rivers,  the  village,  for  the  little  cluster  of  three 
hundred    houses   was    but    a   village,   was    entirely 


308  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

exposed.  Upon  the  land  side,  running  from  river  to 
river,  there  was  a  slight  fence  composed  of  old  and 
decayed  palisades,  which  scores  of  years  before  had 
been  a  protection  against  the  savages.  In  front  of 
this  fence  there  were  the  remains  of  a  storm-washed 
breastwork,  about  three  feet  high  and  two  feet  wide. 

The  crumbling  fort  was  pronounced  by  all  to  be 
untenable.  It  was  originally  constructed  as  a  retreat 
from  the  savages,  who  could  only  assail  it  with 
arrows  and  hatchets  and  a  few  musket  balls.  It  was 
surrounded  by  an  earthen  rampart,  about  ten  feet 
high  and  three  or  four  feet  thick.  In  all,  there  were 
twenty-four  cannons  within  the  enclosure,  which 
was  unprotected  by  any  ditch  or  palisades.  In  the 
rear,  where  the  throngs  of  Broadway  now  press 
along,  there  was  a  series  of  forest-crowned  eminences 
whose  solitary  summits  were  threaded  by  an  Indian 
trail.  These  hills  commanded  the  fort.  From  their 
crests  the  soles  of  the  feet,  it  was  said,  of  those 
walking  in  the  squares  within,  could  be  seen.  There 
were  not  five  hundred  pounds  of  powder  in  store  fit 
for  use.  The  gunners  declared  that  a  few  hours  of 
fighting  would  exhaust  it  all.  The  stock  of  provis- 
ions was  equally  low,  and  there  was  not  a  well  of 
water  within  the  fort. 

It  is  probable  that  the  majority  of  common  sol- 
diers, in  almost  any  regular  army,  is  composed  of 


THE  CAPTURE  OF  NEW  AMSTERDAM.  309 

di'ssolute  worthless  men.  There  are  but  few  persona 
but  the  lost  and  the  reckless  who  will  enlist  to  spend 
their  days  in  shouldering  a  musket.  A  young*  man 
of  good  character  can  do  better  than  convert  himself 
into  a  part  of  such  a  military  machine.  The  garri- 
son at  New  Amsterdam  was  composed  of  the  off- 
scouring  of  Europe.  They  were  ready  to  fight 
under  any  banner  which  would  pay  them.  They 
were  eager  for  the  conflict  with  the  English.  At 
the  first  volley  they  would  throw  aside  their  guns 
and  join  the  English  in  the  plunder.  One  of  them 
was  heard  saying  to  an  applauding  group : 

"  Now  we  hope  for  a  chance  to  pepper  these 
devilish  Dutch  traders.  They  have  salted  us  too 
long.  We  know  where  their  booty  is  stored.  And 
we  know  also  where  the  young  girls  live  who  wear 
gold  chains.'' 

Under  these  circumstances  the  governor  was 
compelled  to  yield.  He  appointed  six  commission- 
ers to  confer  with  the  same  number  of  the  English. 
The  parties  met  at  Governor  Stuyvesant's  residence 
on  his  farm  or  bouwerie,  at  eight  o'clock  in  the 
morning  of  August  27th.  The  terms  were  speedily 
settled,  for  the  English  would  enforce  any  demands 
which  they  were  disposed  to  make.  There  were 
twenty-three  articles  of  agreement,  entering  into 
many  details.     The  substance  was  that  New  Nether- 


310  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

land  passed  over  entirely  to  the  English.  The 
Dutch  retained  their  property.  If  any  chose  to 
leave  the  country  they  could  do  so.  The  ships  of 
the  Dutch  merchants  could,  for  the  six  months  next 
ensuing,  trade  freely  with  the  Netherlands,  as  here- 
tofore. The  people  were  to  be  allowed  liberty  of 
conscience  in  divine  worship  and  church  discipline. 
No  Dutchman  should  be  impressed  to  serve  in  war 
against  any  nation  whatever.  All  the  inferior  civil 
officers  were  allowed  to  continue  in  office  until 
the  next  election,  when  they  would  be  required  to 
take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  king  of  Eng- 
land. 

The  next  day  was  Sunday.  These  articles  were 
therefore  not  ratified  until  eight  o'clock  Monday 
morning.  It  was  agreed  that  within  two  hours 
after  the  ratification,  "  the  fort  and  town  called  New 
Amsterdam,  upon  the  island  of  Manhatoes,''  should 
be  delivered  up.  The  military  officers  of  the  fort, 
and  the  soldiers  were  to  be  permitted  to  march  from 
their  intrenchments  with  their  arms,  drums  beating 
and  colors  flying. 

Colonel  Nicholls  took  possession  of  the  govern- 
ment. He  changed  the  name  of  the  city  from  New 
Amsterdam  to  New  York,  in  honor  of  the  Duke  of 
York,  the  brother  of  the  King  of  England.  The  fort 
was  called   fort    James.     Colonel    Nicholls   becama 


THE  CAPTURE  OF  NEW  AMSTERDAM.    3II 

the  deputy  governor  for  James,  the  Duke  of  York, 
in  administering  the  affairs  of  the  extended  realms 
which  the  British  government  had  thus  perfidiously 
seized.  We  regret  to  say,  but  history  will  bear  us 
out  in  the  assertion,  that  there  is  no  government 
in  Christendom  whose  annals  are  sullied  with  so 
many  acts  of  unmitigated  villany  as  the  government 
of  Great  Britain. 

Colonel  Nicholls  immediately  sent  an  armed 
force  up  the  river,  to  take  possession  of  fort  Orange  ; 
and  another  to  the  Delaware,  to  unfurl  the  English 
flag  over  New  Amstel.  The  name  of  fort  Orange 
was  changed  to  fort  Albany,  the  second  title  of  the 
Duke  of  York.  Three  frigates  were  sent  to  the 
Delaware.  The  severest  punishment  was  denounc- 
ed against  the  Dutch  and  Swedes  there,  should  they 
make  any  resistance.  The  same  terms  were  offered 
them  which  were  granted  to  the  people  at  New 
Amsterdam. 

The  command  of  this  expedition  was  entrusted 
to  Sir  Robert  Carr.  Notwithstanding  the  sacred 
stipulations  into  which  Carr  had  entered,  he  tram- 
pled them  all  beneath  his  feet.  Governor  Stuyve- 
sant  writes, 

"  At  New  Amstel,  on  the  South  river,  notwith- 
standing they  offered  no  resistance,  but  demanded 
good  treatment,  which  however  they  did  not  obtain, 


312  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

they  were  invaded,  stript  bare,  plundered,  and  many 
of  them  sold  as  slaves  in  Virginia.'' 

This  testimony  is  corroborated  by  a  London 
document,  which  says,  "  From  the  city  and  the  in- 
habitants thereabout  were  taken  one  hundred  sheep, 
thirty  or  forty  horses,  fifty  or  sixty  cows  and  oxen, 
between  sixty  and  seventy  negroes,  the  brew-house 
still-house  and  all  the  material  thereunto  belonging. 
The  produce  of  the  land,  such  as  corn,  hay,  etc.,  was 
also  seized  for  the  king's  use,  together  with  the 
cargo  that  was  unsold,  and  the  bills  of  what  had 
been  disposed  of,  to  the  value  of  four  thousand 
pounds  sterling. 

"  The  Dutch  soldiers  were  taken  prisoners,  and 
given  up  to  the  merchant-man  that  was  there,  in 
payment  for  his  services  ;  and  they  were  transport- 
ed into  Virginia  to  be  sold.  All  sorts  of  tools  for 
handicraft  tradesmen,  and  all  plough  gear,  and 
other  things  to  cultivate  the  ground,  which  were  in 
store  in  great  quantity,  were  likewise  seized,  togeth- 
er with  a  sawmill  ready  to  set  up,  and  nine  sea 
buoys  with  their  iron  chains. 

"  Even  the  inoffensive  Menonists,  though  thor- 
oughly non-combatant  from  principle,  did  not  es- 
cape the  sack  and  plunder  to  which  the  whole 
river  was  subjected  by  Carr  and  his  co-maraud- 
ers.    A  boat  was    dispatched  to  their   settlement, 


THE  CAPTURE  OF  NEW  AMSTERDAM.         313 

which  was  stripped  of  everything,  even  to  a  very 
nail." 

At  New  Amsterdam,  Colonel  Nicholls  paid  more 
respect  to  the  terms  of  the  treaty.  Citizens,  resid- 
ing there,  were  not  robbed  of  their  private  prop- 
erty. But  the  gentlemen  of  the  West  India  Com- 
pany, in  Holland,  found  all  their  property  merciless- 
ly confiscated.  Colonel  Nicholls  seized  on  every- 
thing upon  which  he  could  lay  his  hand.  He  seem- 
ed anxious  to  eradicate  every  vestige  of  the  formei 
power.  This  property  was  sold  at  auction  that  it 
might  thus  be  distributed  among  a  large  number  oi 
individual  owners.  The  Colonel  shrewdly  imagined 
that  he  might  thus  interest  all  these  persons  in  the 
maintenance  of  the  new  power. 

History  has  but  one  voice,  and  that  of  the 
severest  condemnation,  in  reference  to  these  transac- 
tions on  the  part  of  the  English  government.  Mr. 
O'Callaghan  writes : 

"  Thus  was  fitly  consummated  an  act  of  spoliation 
which,  in  a  period  of  profound  peace,  wrested  this 
province  from  the  rightful  owners,  by  violating  all 
public  justice  and  infringing  all  public  law.  The 
only  additional  outrage  that  remained  was  to  im- 
pose on  the  country  the  name  of  one  unknown  in 
history,  save  as  a  bigot  and  a  tyrant ,  the  enemy  of 
religious  and  political  freedom  wherever  he  nil- 
14 


314  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

ed.  New  Netherland  was  accordingly  called  New 
York." 

Hon.  Benjamin  F.  Butler,  in  his  outline  of  the 
State  of  New  York  writes,  "  In  the  history  of  the 
royal  ingrates  by  whom  it  was  planned  and  for 
whose  benefit  it  was  perpetrated,  there  are  few  acts 
more  base,  none  more  characteristic.'' 

Mr.  Brodhead,  in  his  admirable  History  of  the 
State  of  New  York,  says,  "  The  flag  of  England  was, 
at  length,  triumphantly  displayed  where  for  half  a 
century  that  of  Holland  had  triumphantly  waved  ; 
and  from  Virginia  to  Canada,  the  king  of  Great 
Britain  was  acknowledged  as  sovereign.  Whatever 
may  have  been  its  ultimate  consequences,  this 
treacherous  and  violent  seizure  of  the  territory  and 
possessions  of  an  unsuspecting  ally,  was  no  less  a 
breach  of  private  justice  than  of  public  faith.  It 
may  indeed  be  affirmed  that,  among  all  the  acts  of 
selfish  perfidy  which  royal  ingratitude  conceived 
and  executed,  there  have  been  few  more  character- 
istic and  none  more  base." 

Thus  the  Dutch  dominion  in  North  America 
passed  forever  away.  I  cannot  refrain  from  quoting 
the  just  tribute  to  the  Dutch  government  contained 
in  Mr.  Brodhead's  History.  "  Holland,"  he  writes, 
"  has  long  been  the  theme  for  the  ridicule  of  British 
writers  ;  and  even  in  this  country  the  character  and 


THE  CAPTURE   OF  NEW  AMSTERDAM.         315 

manners  of  the  Dutch  have  been  made  the  subjects 
of  an  unworthy  depreciation.  Yet,  without  under- 
valuing others,  it  may  confidently  be  claimed  that, 
to  no  nation  in  the  world  is  the  Republic  of  the 
West  more  indebted  than  to  the  United  Provinces, 
for  the  idea  of  the  confederation  of  sovereign 
States ;  for  noble  principles  of  constitutional  free- 
dom ;  for  magnanimous  sentiments  of  religious  toler- 
ation ;  for  characteristic  sympathy  with  subjects  of 
oppression  ;  for  liberal  doctrines  in  trade  and  com- 
merce ;  for  illustrious  patterns  of  public  integrity 
and  private  virtue,  and  for  generous  and  timely  aid 
in  the  establishment  of  independence.  Nowhere 
among  the  people  of  the  United  States  can  men  be 
found  excelling  in  honesty,  industry,  courtesy  or 
accomplishment,  the  posterity  of  the  early  Dutch 
settlers  of  New  Netherland." 

Soon  after  the  surrender,  Governor  Stuyvesant 
was  recalled  to  Europe  to  vindicate  his  conduct. 
The  severest  charges  were  brought  against  him. 
He  addressed  to  the  States-General  an  "Account  of 
the  Circumstances  preceding  the  surrender  of  New 
Netherland."  It  was  a  triumphant  vindication  of 
his  conduct.  But  the  unfortunate  are  rarely  treated 
with  justice.  The  pride  of  Holland  was  deeply 
touched  by  the  loss  of  its  North  American  posses- 
sions.    Governor  Stuyvesant  soon  returned  to  New 


3l6  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

York,  and  lived  in  much  seclusion  in  his  spacious 
house  on  his  farm,  until  he  died,  in  the  year  1672. 
The  governor's  remains  were  entombed  at  his 
chapel  in  the  Bouwery,  now  St.  Mark's  Church. 

There  were  two  roads  which  led  from  the  fort  at 
the  Battery,  to  the  northern  part  of  the  island. 
One  of  these  followed  along  the  present  line  of 
Broadway  to  what  is  now  the  Park,  which  was  at 
that  time  a  large  unenclosed  open  field  far  out  of 
town  called  the  Common.  The  road  then  wound 
along  by  the  southeastern  side  of  the  common  and 
by  the  line  of  Chatham  street  and  the  Bouwery  out 
to  Harlaem.  This  became  eventually  the  u  Old 
Post  Road'.'  to  Boston.  Governor  Stuyvesant's 
Bouwery  consisted  of  many  acres  of  land.  The 
farm  embraced  the  land  in  the  region  of  Third  avenue 
and  Thirteenth  street.  In  the  spring  of  1647,  a  pear 
tree  was  planted  upon  this  spot,  which  was  long 
known  as  "  Stuyvesant's  pear  tree."  For  more  than 
two  centuries  it  continued  to  bear  fruit.  In  its  lat- 
ter years,  this  venerable  relic  of  the  past  was 
cherished  with  the  utmost  care.  It  presented  many 
touching  indications  of  i£s  extreme  old  age.  In  its 
two  hundred  and  twentieth  year  it  bloomed  for 
the  last  time.  "  Since  the  fall  of  the  tree,''  writes 
Mr.  Stone,  "  a  promising  shoot  from  the  ancient 
stock  has  taken   its  place,  and  shows  a  hardy  vigor 


THE  CAPTURE   OF  NEW  AMSTERDAM.         317 

which  may  yet  enable  it  to  rival  its  progenitor  in 
age." 

In  the  year  1665,  the  year  which  followed  the 
capture  of  the  city,  war  broke  out  between  England 
and  Holland.  It  was  then  generally  expected  that 
the  States  of  Holland  would  make  an  attempt  to  re- 
cover the  lost  territory  of  New  Netherland.  It  was 
rumored  that  De  Ruyter,  one  of  the  Dutch  Admi- 
rals, had  actually  set  sail,  with  a  large  squadron,  for 
New  York.  The  rumor  caused  great  commotion 
in  the  city.  The  national  spirit  of  the  Dutch  resi- 
dents was  roused  to  intensity.  De  Ruyter  had  in- 
deed sailed  with  the  object  of  recapturing  the  prov 
ince. 

Colonel  Nicholls  was  a  man  of  great  energy.  He 
immediately  commenced  with  all  vigor,  the  work  of 
repairing  the  crumbling  fortifications,  and  of  erect- 
ing new  ones.  But  he  found  none  to  co-operate 
heartily  with  him,  save  the  few  English  soldiers, 
whose  bayonets  held  the  conquered  province  in  sub- 
jection. A  meeting  of  all  the  Dutch  inhabitants 
was  called  to  ascertain  the  tone  of  public  sentiment, 
and  to  endeavor  to  inspire  the  community  with 
some  enthusiasm  for  the  defence. 

But  no  enthusiasm  was  elicited.  The  Dutch 
were  not  at  all  unwilling  that  their  countrymen 
should  come  back  and  reclaim  their  own.     Even  to 


3i8  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

defend  themselves  from  the  humiliation  of  con- 
quest,  by  their  English  assailants,  they  had  not 
been  willing  to  submit  to  a  bombardment.  Much 
less  were  they  now  willing  to  subject  themselves 
to  the  horrors  of  war,  when  the  flag  of  Holland  was 
approaching  for  their  deliverance.  They  did  not 
venture  however,  openly  to  oppose  the  ruler  whom 
the  fortunes  of  war  had  set  over  them,  or  to  express 
sympathy  for  the  success  of  the  approaching  fleet, 
which  might  be  pronounced  treason,  and  might  ex- 
pose them  to  severe  punishment. 

They  contented  themselves  with  manifesting  en- 
tire indifference,  or  in  offering  sundry  excuses. 
They  very  sensibly  assumed  the  ground  that  they 
were  a  feeble  defenceless  colony,  far  away  in  the 
wilderness,  entirely  unable  to  cope  with  the  forces 
which  the  great  maritime  powers  of  England  or  Hol- 
land might  send  against  them.  When  an  English 
fleet  opened  the  portholes  of  its  broadsides  upon 
their  little  village,  they  could  do  nothing  but  sur- 
render. Should  a  fleet  from  Holland  now  anchor  in 
their  waters  they  must  let  events  take  their  natural 

course. 

Colonel  Nicholls,  as  governor,  had  gifts  of  honor 
and  opulence  in  his  hands.  As  was  to  have  been 
expected,  there  were  a  few  Dutch  citizens  who  were 
eager  to  gratify  the  governor  by  co-operating  with 


THE   CAPTURE   OF   NEW   AMSTERDAM.  319 

him  in  all  his  plans.  This  number,  however,  was 
small.  The  great  mass  of  the  citizens  assumed  an 
air  of  indifference,  while,  in  heart,  they  longed  for 
the  appearance  of  the  Dutch  fleet  in  such  strength 
as  to  render  resistance  impossible. 

But  either  the  storms  of  the  ocean,  or  some 
other  engagements,  arrested  the  progress  of  the 
squadron,  until  after  the  rupture  between  England 
and  Holland  was  temporarily  healed.  Colonel  Nich- 
olls  remained  in  command  at  New  York  about  four 
years.  His  administration  was  as  popular  as  could 
reasonably  have  been  expected  under  the  circum- 
stances. He  gradually  relaxed  the  severity  of  his 
rule,  and  wisely  endeavored  to  promote  the  prosper- 
ity of  the  colony.  The  conquest  had  retarded  the 
tide  of  emigration  from  Holland,  and  had  given  a 
new  impulse  to  that  from  England.  The  Dutch 
gradually  became  reconciled  to  his  rule.  They  en- 
joyed all  the  rights  and  immunities  which  were  con- 
ferred upon  any  of  the  subjects  of  England  in  her 
American  colonies.  Out  of  respect  to  the  governor 
they  organized  two  militia  companies,  the  officers 
of  which  were  from  the  most  distinguished  of  the 
Dutch  citizens,  and  they  received  their  commissions 
from  him. 

In  August  of  1668,  Colonel  Nicholls,  at  his  own 
request,  was  recalled,  and  he  returned  to  England. 


320  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

The  Dutch  did  not  love  him,  for  they  never  could 
forget  the  circumstances  under  which  he  had  con- 
quered their  province.  But  he  had  won  theii  re- 
spect. As  he  embarked  for  the  shores  of  England 
the  great  body  of  the  citizens  complimented  him 
by  a  respectful  leave-taking. 

Colonel  Nicholls  was  succeeded  in  the  govern- 
ment of  the  province,  by  Colonel  Francis  Lovelace. 
He  was  an  English  officer  of  respectable  abilities, 
and  of  worthy  character.  Under  his  sway,  New 
York  for  five  years,  until  1673,  enjoyed  prosperity 
and  peace.     New  agitations  then  took  place. 

The  peace,  of  which  we  have  spoken,  between 
England  and  Holland,  was  of  but  transient  duration. 
In  1672  war  was  again  declared  by  England.  The 
conflict  which  ensued  was  mainly  upon  the  ocean. 
New  York  had  so  grown  since  its  conquest  by  the 
English,  and  could  so  easily  be  reinforced  by 
almost  any  number  of  men  from  populous  New  Eng- 
land, that  the  Dutch  did  not  think  that  there  was 
any  chance  of  their  then  being  able  to  regain  the 
colony.  They,  however,  fitted  out  a  fleet  of  five 
ships,  to  cruise  along  the  coast  of  North  America, 
destroy  the  English,  and  inflict  such  injury  upon 
any  and  all  of  the  English  colonies  as  might  be  in 
their  power. 

Governor  Lovelace  had  no  idea  that  any  Dutch 


THE  CAPTURE  OF   NEW   AMSTERDAM.         32 1 

ships  would  venture  through  the  Narrows.  He 
made  no  special  effort  to  strengthen  the  defences 
of  New  York.  Early  in  February  he  went  to  West- 
chester county,  to  visit  at  the  residence  of  his 
friend  Mr.  Pell.  This  was  quite  a  journey  in  those 
days.  The  command  of  the  fort  was  entrusted, 
during  his  absence  to  Captain  John  Manning. 

A  vessel  entered  the  port,  bringing  the  intelli- 
gence that  a  Dutch  fleet  had  been  seen  off  the  coast 
of  Virginia,  sailing  in  the  direction  of  New  York. 
This  created  great  commotion.  A  dispatch  was 
sent,  in  the  utmost  haste,  to  the  governor,  summon- 
ing his  return.  He  promptly  mustered,  for  the  de- 
fence, all  the  forces  he  could  raise  in  the  city  and 
neighboring  counties,  and  soon  five  hundred  armed 
men  were  parading  the  streets  of  New  York. 

It  proved  a  false  dream.  No  enemy  appeared. 
The  troops  were  disbanded.  They  returned  to  their 
homes.  The  community  was  lulled  into  a  very 
false  sense  of  security.  In  July,  the  governor  again 
was  absent,  on  a  visit  to  Connecticut.  On  the  29th 
of  July  the  Dutch  fleet  appeared  at  Sandy  Hook, 
and,  learning  from  some  of  the  inhabitants  of  Long 
Island,  whose  sympathies  were  still  cordially  with 
the  fatherland,  that  the  city  was  entirely  defenceless 
and  could  easily  be  taken,  ventured  to  try  the  ex- 
periment. They  had  not  approached  the  bay  with 
14* 


322  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

any  such  design.  They  had  supposed  their  force 
entirely  inadequate  for  so  important  a  capture.  The 
fleet  quietly  sailed  up  the  bay  and,  as  the  English 
fleet  had  done  but  a  few  years  before,  anchored  op- 
posite the  Battery,  and  turned  their  broadsides  to- 
wards the  city. 

Colonel  Manning  sent  a  hurried  despatch  to  the 
governor,  who  could  by  no  possibility  return  for  sev- 
eral days,  and  fluttered  about  in  the  attempt  to 
beat  up  recruits.  But  no  recruits  were  forthcom 
ing.  The  sight  of  the  flag  of  Holland,  again  tri- 
umphantly floating  in  the  harbor,  was  joyful  to 
many  eyes. 

The  great  majority  of  the  people,  in  the  city  and 
in  the  country,  were  of  Dutch  descent.  Consequent- 
ly the  recruiting  parties  which  were  raised,  were  in 
no  mood  to  peril  their  lives  in  defence  of  the  flag  or 
England.  Indeed  it  is  said  that  one  party  of  the 
recruits  marched  to  the  Battery  and  deliberately 
spiked  several  of  the  guns,  opposite  the  City-hall. 

It  was  a  most  singular  revolution  of  the  wheel 
of  fortune.  Captain  Manning  had  but  fifty  soldiers 
within  the  fort.  None  of  these  were  willing  to  fight. 
One-half  of  them  were  such  raw  recruits  that  cap- 
tain Manning  said  that  they  had  never  put  their 
heads  over  the  ramparts.  A  few  broadsides  from 
the  Dutch  fleet  would  dismount  every  gun  in  the 


THE  CAPTURE  OF  NEW  AMSTERDAM.  323 

fort,  and  put  to  flight  all  the  defenders  who  should 
survive  the  volley.  This  was  alike  obvious  to  the 
assailants  and  the  assailed. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

The  Final  Surrender. 

The  Summons.— The  Bombardment. — Disembarkation  of  the  Land 
Force. — Indecision  of  Captain  Manning. — The  Surrender. — 
Short  Administiation  of  the  Dutch. — Social  Customs. — The  Tea 
Party. —  Testimony  of  Travellers. — Visit  to  Long  Island. — 
Fruitfulness  of  the  Country. — Exploration  of  Manhattan  Isl- 
and. 

The  Dutch  ships,  having  anchored  and  prepared 
themselves  for  the  immediate  opening  of  the  bom- 
bardment, a  boat  was  sent  on  shore  with  a  flag  of 
truce,  to  demand  the  surrender  of  the  city.  At  the 
same  time  a  boat  was  sent  by  Colonel  Manning 
from  the  fort  to  the  ships.  The  boats  passed  each 
other  without  any  interchange  of  words.  Colonel 
Manning's  boat  bore  simply  the  message  to  the 
Dutch  Admirals,  "  Why  do  you  come  in  such  a  hos- 
tile manner  to  disturb  his  Majesty's  subjects  in  this 
place  ?''  As  England  and  Holland  were  then  en- 
gaged in  open  war,  one  would  hardly  think  that  such 
an  inquiry  was  then  called  for.  When  Colonel 
Nicholls  came  to  New  Amsterdam  with  his  English 
fleet,    the   two    nations    were    in    friendly   alliance. 


THE  FINAL  SURRENDER.  325 

Such  a  question  then  would  have  been  very  appro- 
priate. 

The  boat  from  the  Dutch  fleet  bore  a  flag  of 
truce  at  its  stern,  and  was  accompanied  by  a  trum- 
peter, who  asked  for  the  English  officer  in  command 
and  presented  the  following  message  to  Colonel 
Manning : 

"The  force  of  war,  now  lying  in  your  sight,  is 
sent  by  the  High  and  Mighty  States-General  and 
his  serene  Highness  the  Prince  of  Orange,  for  the 
purpose  of  destroying  their  enemies.  We  have  sent 
you  therefore,  this  letter,  together  with  our  trum- 
peter, to  the  end  that,  upon  the  sight  hereof,  you 
surrender  unto  us  the  fort  called  James,  promising 
good  quarter  ;  or  by  your  refusal  we  shall  be  obliged 
to  proceed,  both  by  land  and  water,  in  such  manner 
as  we  shall  find  to  be  most  advantageous  for  the 
High  and  Mighty  States." 

Captain  Manning  returned  an  answer  simply 
acknowledging  the  receipt  of  the  message,  and 
informing  the  Dutch  Admirals  that  he  had  already 
dispatched  officers  to  communicate  with  him.  He 
promised  upon  the  return  of  those  messengers  to 
give  a  definite  reply  to  his  summons. 

The  Dutch  Admirals,  Benckes  and  Evertson, 
were  not  disposed  to  waste  any  time  in  parleying. 
They  probably  remembered  the  circumstances  under 


326  fETER  STUYVESANT. 

which  the  province  of  New  Netherland  had  been 
wrested  from  them  by  its  present  possessois,  and 
they  rejoiced  that  the  hour  of  retribution  had  thus 
unexpectedly  come. 

They  therefore  sent  back  word  that  their  bat- 
teries were  loaded  and  shotted  and  ready  to  open 
fire;  that  one  half  hour  and  one  half  hour  only, 
would  be  granted  for  deliberation  ;  that  immediately 
upon  the  arrival  of  the  boat  at  the  fort  the  half 
hour  glass  wouldbe  turned  up;  and  that  if,  when 
its  last  sands  fell,  the  white  flag  of  surrender  were 
not  raised  upon  the  fort,  the  bombardment  would  be 
commenced. 

The  last  sands  fell  and  no  white  flag  appeared. 
Instantly  the  thunder  of  a  cannon  echoed  over  the 
bay,  and  a  storm  of  iron  hail  came  crashing  upon 
the  frail  fort,  killing  and  wounding  a  number  of  men. 
Volley  after  volley  succeeded  without  any  intermis- 
sion. Captain  Manning  made  no  attempt  to  return 
the  fire.  He  and  his  powerless  garrison  hurried  to 
places  of  safety,  leaving  the  ramparts  to  be  ploughed 
up  and  the  barracks  to  be  battered  down  without 
any  resistance. 

While  this  cannonade  was  going  on,  the  Dutch 
Admirals  manned  their  boats  with  a  land  force  of 
six  hundred  men,  and  they  were  disembarked  upon 
the  shore  of  the  island  without  encountering   any 


THE  FINAL  SURRENDER.  327 

foe.  The  little  band  of  English  soldiers  was  power- 
less, and  the  Dutch  inhabitants  were  much  more 
disposed  to  welcome  their  countrymen  as  deliverers 
than  to  oppose  them  as  enemies.  These  Dutch 
troops  were  armed  with  hand  grenades  and  such 
other  weapons  as  were  deemed  necessary  to  take 
the  place  by  storm.  Rapidly  they  marched  through 
the  fields  to  the  Common,  now  called  the  Park.  It 
was,  as  we  have  mentioned,  nearly  a  mile  north  from 
the  fort. 

Here  they  formed  in  column  to  march  upon 
the  town,  under  their  leader,  Captain  Colve.  The 
English  commander,  Captain  Manning,  sent  three 
of  his  subordinate  officers,  without  any  definite 
message,  to  Captain  Colve,  to  talk  over  the  question 
of  a  capitulation.  It  would  seem  that  Captain  Man- 
ning was  quite  incompetent  for  the  post  he  occupied. 
He  was  bewildered  and  knew  not  what  to  do.  As 
his  envoys  had  no  proposals  to  make,  two  of  them 
were  detained  and  held  under  the  Dutch  standard, 
while  the  third,  Captain  Carr,  was  sent  back  to 
inform  the  English  commander  that  if  in  one  quar- 
ter of  an  hour  the  place  were  not  surrendered,  it 
would  be  taken  by  storm.  In  the  meantime  the 
troops  were  put  upon  the  march. 

Captain  Carr,  aware  of  the  indecision  of  Captain 
Manning  and  of  the  personal  peril  he,  as  an  English- 


328  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

man,  would  encounter,  with  six  hundred  Dutch 
soldiers  sweeping  the  streets,  burning  with  the  desire 
to  avenge  past  wrongs,  did  not  venture  back  into 
the  town  with  his  report,  but  fled  into  the  interior 
of  the  island.  The  troops  pressed  on  to  the  head 
of  Broadway,  where  a  trumpeter  was  sent  forward 
to  receive  the  answer  to  the  summons  which  it  was 
supposed  had  been  made.  He  speedily  returned, 
saying  that  the  commander  of  the  fort  had,  as  yet, 
obtained  no  answer  from  the  commissioners  he  had 
sent  to  receive  from  the  Dutch  commander  his 
propositions. 

Captain  Colve  supposed  that  he  was  trifled  with. 
Indignantly  he  exclaimed  "  They  are  not  to  play  the 
fool  with  us  in  this  way,  forward  march.''  With 
the  beat  of  drums  and  trumpet  peals  and  waving 
banners  his  solid  columns  marched  down  the  Broad- 
way road  to  the  little  cluster  of  about  three  hundred 
houses,  at  the  extreme  southern  point  of  the  island. 
An  army  of  six  hundred  men  at  that  time  and  place 
presented  a  very  imposing  and  terrible  military 
array.  In  front  of  his  troops  the  two  commissioners 
who  had  been  detained,  were  marched  under  guard. 

As  they  approached  the  fort,  Captain  Manning 
sent  another  flag  of  truce  to  the  Dutch  commander, 
with  the  statement  that  he  was  ready  to  surrender 
the  fort  with  all  its  arms   and  ammunition,  if  the 


THE  FINAL  SURRENDER.  329 

officers  and  soldiers  were  permitted  to  march  out 
with  their  private  property  and  to  the  music  of  their 
band.  These  terms  were  acceded  to.  The  English 
troops,  with  no  triumphal  strains,  vacated  the  fort. 
The  Dutch  banners  soon  waved  from  the  ramparts, 
cheered  by  the  acclaim  of  the  conquerors. 

Captain  Manning  was,  in  his  turn,  as  severely 
censured  by  the  people  of  the  English  colonies  in 
America,  and  by  the  home  government,  as  Governor 
Stuyvesant  had  been  on  the  day  of  his  misfortune. 
English  pride  was  grievously  mortified,  that  the 
commandant  of  an  English  fort  should  allow  him- 
self to  be  fired  upon  for  hours  without  returning  a 
shot. 

The  unfortunate  captain  was  subsequently  tried 
by  court-martial  for  cowardice  and  treachery.  He 
was  condemned.  His  sword  was  broken  over  his 
head  and  he  was  declared  incompetent  forever  to 
hold  any  station  of  trust  or  authority  under  the 
government.  Governor  Lovelace  was  condemned 
for  neglect  of  duty.  He  received  a  severe  repri- 
mand, and  all  his  property  was  confiscated  to  the 
Duke  of  York. 

The  victorious  Dutch  commanders  appointed 
Captain  Colve  as  governor  of  recaptured  New  Neth- 
erland.  With  great  energy  he  commenced  his  rule. 
The   name   of  New    York   was   changed  to    New 


330  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

Orange,  and  fort  James  became  fort  Hendrick, 
Work  was  immediately  commenced  upon  the  fortifi- 
cations, and  large  sums  of  money  were  expended 
upon  them,  so  that  within  two  months  they  were 
deemed  so  strong  that  it  was  thought  that  no 
English  fleet  would  dare  to  venture  within  range 
of  their  guns.  The  whole  city  assumed  the  aspect 
of  a  military  post.  Nearly  every  citizen  was  trained 
to  arms.  The  Common,  now  the  Park,  was  the  pa- 
rade ground  where  the  troops  were  daily  drilled.  It 
was  very  firmly  resolved  that  the  city  should  not 
again  surrender  without  the  firing  of  a  gun. 

The  municipal  institutions  were  all  re-organized 
to  conform  to  those  of  the  fatherland.  This  second 
administration  of  the  Dutch  was  of  but  short  dura- 
tion. On  the  9th  of  January,  1674,  but  about  three 
months  after  the  re-capture  of  the  city,  a  treaty  of 
peace  was  signed  between  England  and  Holland. 
The  sixth  article  of  this  treaty  read  as  follows, 

u  Whatsoever  countries,  islands,  ports,  towns, 
castles  or  forts  have  been  taken  on  both  sides,  since 
the  time  that  the  late  unhappy  war  broke  out,  either 
in  Europe  or  elsewhere,  shall  be  restored  to  the 
former  lord  or  proprietor  in  the  same  condition  they 
shall  be  in  when  peace  itself  shall  be  proclaimed.'' 

Several  months  however  transpired  before  the 
actual  re-surrender  of  the  city  to  the  English.     On 


THE    FINAL    SURRENDER.  33 1 

the  loth  of  November,  1674,  a  little  more  than  one 
year  after  the  capture  of  the  city  by  the  Dutch, 
this  change  took  place.  Mr.  David  V.  Valentine 
writes  : 

"  This  event  was  not  distasteful  to  the  great 
body  of  the  citizens,  whose  national  sentiment  had, 
in  a  measure,  given  way  before  the  obvious 
advantages  to  their  individual  interests  of  hav- 
ing a  settled  authority  established  over  them, 
with  the  additional  privilege  of  English  institu- 
tions which  were  then  considered  of  a  liberal  ten- 
dency." 

In  conclusion,  we  have  but  a  few  words  to  say 
respecting  the  manners  and  customs  in  the  thriving 
little  village  of  New  York,  in  these  primitive  days. 
People  were  then,  to  say  the  least,  as  happy  as  they 
are  now.  Food  was  abundant,  and  New  York  was 
far-famed  for  its  cordial  hospitality.  Days  of  recre- 
ation were  more  abundant  than  now.  The  principal 
social  festivals  were  "  quilting,"  "apple  paring." 
and  "  husking."  Birthdays,  christenings,  and  mar- 
riage anniversaries  were  also  celebrated  with  much 
festivity.  Upon  most  of  these  occasions  there  was 
abundant  feasting.  Dancing  was  the  favorite  amuse- 
ment, with  which  the  evening  was  almost  invariably 
terminated.  In  this  busy  community  the  repose  ol 
the  night  was  necessary  to  prepare  for  the  labors  of 


332  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

the  ensuing  day.  The  ringing  of  the  nine  o'clock 
bell  was  the  signal  for  all  to  retire. 

A  mild  form  of  negro  slavery  existed  in  those 
days.  The  slaves  danced  to  the  music  of  their  rude 
instruments  in  the  markets.  The  young  men  and 
maidens  often  met  on  the  Bowling  green  and  danced 
around  the  May  pole.  Turkey  shooting  was  a  fa- 
vorite amusement,  which  usually  took  place  on  the 
Common.  New  Year's  Day  was  devoted  to  the  in- 
terchange of  visits.  Every  door  was  thrown  open, 
and  all  guests  were  welcome,  friends  as  well  as 
strangers,  as  at  a  Presidential  levee.  This  custom 
of  olden  time  has  passed  down  to  us  from  our  wor- 
thy Dutch  predecessors.  Dinner  parties  were  un- 
known. But  tea-parties,  with  the  ladies,  were  very 
common. 

u  To  take  tea  out,"  writes  Mr.  William  L.  StOiie, 
in  his  interesting  History  of  New  York,  "  was  a 
Dutch  institution,  and  one  of  great  importance. 
The  matrons,  arrayed  in  their  best  petticoats  and  lin- 
sey  jackets,  home-spun  by  their  own  wheels,  would 
proceed  on  the  intended  afternoon  visit.  They  wore 
capacious  pockets,  with  scissors,  pin-cushion  and 
keys  hanging  from  their  girdle,  outside  of  theii 
dress;  and  reaching  the  neighbor's  house  the  visit- 
ors industriously  used  knitting  needles  and  tongues 
at  the  same   time.     The  village  gossip  was  talked 


THE   FINAL   SURRENDER.  333 

over  *  neighbors'  affairs  settled,  and  the  stockings 
finished  by  tea-time,  when  the  important  meal  ap- 
peared on  the  table,  precisely  at  six  o'clock. 

u  This  was  always  the  occasion  for  the  display  of 
the  family  plate,  with  the  Lilliputian  cups,  of  rare 
old  family  china,  out  of  which  the  guests  sipped  the 
fragrant  herb.  A  large  lump  of  loaf  sugar  invaria- 
bly accompanied  each  cup,  on  a  little  plate,  and  the 
delightful  beverage  was  sweetened  by  an  occasional 
nibble,  amid  the  more  solid  articles  of  waffles  and 
Dutch  doughnuts.  The  pleasant  visit  finished,  the 
visitors  donning  cloaks  and  hoods,  as  bonnets  were 
unknown,  proceeded  homeward  in  time  for  milking 
and  other  necessary  household  dufies. 

"  The  kitchen  fire-places  were  of  immense  size 
large  enough  to  roast  a  whole  sheep.  The  hooks 
and  trammels  sustained  large  iron  pots  and  kettles. 
In  the  spacious  chimney-corners  the  children  and 
negroes  gathered,  telling  stories  and  cracking  nuts 
by  the  blazing  pine-knots,  while  the  industrious  vrows 
turned  the  merry  spinning-wheel,  and  their  lords, 
the  worthy  burghers,  mayhap  just  returned  from  an 
Indian  scrimmage,  quietly  smoked  their  long  pipes, 
as  they  sat  watching  the  wreaths  curling  above  their 
heads.  At  length  the  clock  with  its  brazen  tongue 
haying  proclaimed  the  hour  of  nine,  family  prayers 
were  said,  and  all  retired,  to  rise  with  the  dawn." 


334  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

In  the  summer  of  1679,  but  five  years  after  tLj 
final  accession  of  New  Netherland  by  the  English, 
two  gentlemen  from  Holland,  as  the  committee  of  a 
religious  sect,  visited  the  Hudson  river,  to  report 
respecting  the  condition  of  the  country,  and  to  se 
lect  a  suitable  place  for  the  establishment  of  a  col- 
ony. They  kept  a  minute  journal  of  their  daily  ad- 
ventures. From  their  narrative  one  can  obtain  a 
very  vivid  picture  of  New  York  life  two  hundred 
years  ago.  1 

On  Saturday,  the  23d  day  of  September,  they 
landed  at  New  York,  and  found  it  a  very  strange 
place.  A  fellow  passenger,  whose  name  was  Ger- 
ritt,  and  who  was  on  his  return  from  Europe,  resided 
in  New  York.  He  took  the  travellers  to  the  house 
of  one  of  his  friends,  where  they  were  regaled  with 
very  luscious  peaches,  and  apples  far  better  than 
any  they  had  seen  in  Holland.  They  took  a  walk 
out  into  the  fields  and  were  surprised  to  see  how 
profusely  the  orchards  were  laden  with  fruit.  They 
took  up  lodgings  with  the  father-in-law  of  their  fel- 
low-traveller, and  in  the  evening  were  regaled  with 
rich  milk.     The  next  day  was  Sunday. 

"  We  walked  awhile,"  they  write,  "  in  the  pure 
mountain  air,  along  the  margin  of  the  clear  running 
water  of  the  sea,  which  is  driven  up  this  river  at 
every   tide.     We  went  to  church  and    found  truly 


THE  FINAL  SURRENDER.  335 

there  a  wild  worldly  people.  I  say  wild,  not  only 
because  the  people  are  wild,  as  they  call  it  in  Eu- 
rope, but  because  most  all  the  people  who  go  there, 
partake  somewhat  of  the  nature  of  the  country;  that 
is  peculiar  to  the  land  where  they  live.'' 

The  preacher  did  not  please  them.  "  He  used 
such  strange  gestures  and  language,''  writes  one  of 
them,  "  tint  I  think  I  never  in  my  life  heard  anything 
more  miserable.  As  it  is  not  strange  in  these  coun- 
tries, to  have  men  as  ministers,  who  drink,  we  could 
imagine  nothing  else  than  that  he  had  been  drinking 
a  little  this  morning.  His  text  was  Come  unto  me 
all  ye,  etc;  but  he  was  so  rough  that  the  rough- 
est and  most  godless  of  our  sailors  were  aston- 
ished. 

"  The  church  being  in  the  fort,  we  had  an  oppor- 
tunity to  look  through  the  latter,  as  we  had  come 
too  early  for  preaching.  The  fort  is  built  upon  the 
point  formed  by  the  two  rivers,  namely  the  East 
river,  which  is  the  water  running  between  the  Man- 
hattans and  Long  Island,  and  the  North  river, 
which  runs  straight  up  to  fort  Orange.  In  front  of 
the  fort  there  is  a  small  island  called  Nut  Island. 
Around  the  point  of  this  vessels  must  sail  in  going 
out  or  in,  whereby  they  are  compelled  to  pass  close 
by  the  point  of  the  fort,  where  they  can  be  flanked 
by  several  of  the  batteries.     It  has  only  one  gate 


336  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

and  that  is  on  the  land  side,  opening  upon  a  broad 
lane  or  street,  called  the  Broadway." 

They  went  to  church  again  in  the  afternoon. 
"  After  preaching,"  they  write,  "  the  good  old  people 
with  whom  we  lodged,  who,  indeed  if  they  were  not 
the  best  on  all  the  Manhattan,  were  at  least  among 
the  best,  especially  the  wife,  begged  we  would  go 
with  their  son  Gerrit,  to  one  of  their  daughters  who 
lived  in  a  delightful  place  and  kept  a  tavern,  where 
we  would  be  able  to  taste  the  beer  of  New  Nether- 
land.  So  we  went,  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  what 
was  to  be  seen.  But  when  we  arrived  there  we 
were  much  deceived.  On  account  of  its  being,  to 
some  extent,  a  pleasant  spot,  it  was  resorted  to  on 
Sundays  by  all  sorts  of  revellers  and  was  a  low  pot- 
house. It  being  repugnant  to  our  feelings  to  be 
there,  we  walked  into  the  orchard,  to  seek  pleasure 
in  contemplating  the  innocent  objects  of  nature.  A 
great  storm  of  rain  coming  up  in  the  evening,  we 
retraced  our  steps  in  the  dark,  exploring  our  way 
through  a  salt  meadow,  and  over  water  upon  the 
trunk  of  a  tree." 

On  Thursday  the  26th,  our  two  travellers,  at  two 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  crossed  East  river  to  visit 
Long  Island.  The  fare  in  the  ferry-boat,  which  was 
rowed  across,  was  three  stivers,  less  than  half  a  cent 
of  our  money,  for  each  person.     They  climbed  the 


THE  FINAL  SURRENDER.  337 

hill  and  walked  along  through  an  open  road  and  a 
little  woods  to  "  the  first  village,  called  Breukelen, 
which  has  a  small  and  ugly  little  church  in  the 
middle  of  the  road."  The  island  was  then  mostly 
inhabited  by  Indians.  There  were  several  flourish- 
ing farms  in  the  vicinity  of  Brooklyn,  which  they 
visited  and  where  they  were  bountifully  regaled  with 
milk,  cider,  fruit,  tobacco  and  "  first  and  most  of  all, 
miserable  rum,  brought  from  Barbadoes,  and  which 
is  called  by  the  Dutch  kill  devil" 

The  peach  orchards  were  breaking  down  beneath 
the  burden  of  luscious  fruit.  They  often  could  not 
step  without  trampling  upon  the  peaches,  and  yet 
the  trees  were  full  as  they  could  bear.  Though  the 
swine  were  fattened  upon  them,  still  large  numbers 
perished  upon  the  ground.  In  the  evening  they 
went  on  to  a  place  called  Gouanes,  where  they  were 
very  hospitably  entertained.  It  was  a  chill  evening, 
and  they  found  a  brilliant  fire  of  hickory  wood 
crackling  upon  the  hearth. 

"  There  had  already  been  thrown  upon  it,"  they 
write,  "  a  pail  full  of  Gouanes  oysters,  which  are  the 
best  in  the  country.  They  are  large,  some  of  them 
not  less  than  a  foot  long,  and  they  grow,  sometimes 
ten,  twelve  and  sixteen  together,  and  are  then  like 
a  piece  of  rock.  We  had  for  supper  a  roasted 
haunch  of  venison  which  weighed  thirty  pounds, 
15 


338  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

and  which  he  had  bought  of  the  Indians  for  fifteen 
cents.  The  meat  was  exceedingly  tender  and  good 
and  quite  fat.  We  were  served  also  with  wild 
turkey,  which  was  also  fat  and  of  a  good  flavor,  and 
a  wild  goose.  Everything  we  had  was  the  natural 
production  of  the  country.  We  saw  lying  in  a  heap, 
a  hill  of  watermelons  as  large  as  pumpkins.  It  was 
late  at  night  when  we  went  to  rest,  in  a  Kermis  bed, 
as  it  is  called,  in  the  corner  of  the  hearth,  alongside 
of  a  good  fire." 

The  next  morning  they  threaded  their  way 
through  the  forest,  and  along  the  shore  to  the  ex- 
treme west  end  of  the  island,  where  fort  Hamilton 
now  stands.  They  passed  through  a  large  planta- 
tion, of  the  Najack  Indians,  which  was  waving  with 
corn.  A  noise  of  pounding  drew  them  to  a  place 
where  a  very  aged  Indian  woman  was  beating  beans 
out  of  the  pods  with  a  stick,  which  she  did  with 
amazing  dexterity.  Near  by  was  the  little  cluster 
of  houses  of  the  dwindling  tribe.  The  village  con- 
sisted of  seven  or  eight  huts,  occupied  by  between 
twenty  and  thirty  Indians,  men,  women  and  chil- 
dren. 

These  huts  were  about  sixty  feet  long  and  fifteen 
wide.  The  floor  was  of  earth.  The  posts  were  large 
limbs  of  trees,  planted  firmly  in  the  ground.  The 
sides  were  of  reeds  and  the  bark  of  trees.     An  open 


THE  FINAL  SURRENDER.  339 

space,  about  six  inches  wide,  ran  along  the  whole 
length  of  the  roof,  for  the  passage  of  smoke.  On 
the  sides  the  roof  was  so  low  that  a  man  could  not 
stand  under  it. 

"They  build  their  fire  in  the  middle  of  the  floor, 
according  to  the  number  of  families  which  live  in 
the  hut ;  not  only  the  families  themselves,  but  each 
Indian  alone,  according  as  he  is  hungry,  at  all  hours 
morning,  noon  and  night.  They  lie  upon  mats  with 
their  feet  towards  the  fire.  All  in  one  house,  are 
generally  of  one  stock,  as  father  and  mother,  with 
their  offspring.  Their  bread  is  maize,  pounded  by  a 
stone,  which  is  mixed  with  water  and  baked  under 
the  hot  ashes." 

"  They  gave  us  a  small  piece  when  we  entered  ; 
and  although  the  grains  were  not  ripe,  and  it  was 
half-baked  and  coarse  grains,  we  nevertheless  had  to 
eat  it,  or  at  least  not  throw  it  away  before  them, 
which  they  would  have  regarded  as  a  great  sin,  or 
a  great  affront.  We  chewed  a  little  of  it  with  long 
teeth,  and  managed  to  hide  it  so  that  they  did  not 
see  it." 

On  Wednesday  a  farmer  harnessed  his  horse 
to  a  wagon  and  carried  them  back  to  the  city. 
The  road  led  through  the  forest  and  over  very  rough 
and  stony  hills,  making  the  ride  quite  uncomforta- 
ble.    Passing   again    through    the    little    village  of 


340  PETER   STU  YVES  ANT. 

BreukeZen,  they  crossed  the  ferry  and  reached  home 
about  noon.  On  Friday  they  took  an  exploring 
tour  through  the  island  of  Manhattan.  Their  pleas- 
ant description  is  worth  transcribing. 

"  This  island  is  about  seven  hours  distance  in 
length,  but  it  is  not  a  full  hour  broad.  The  sides 
are  indented  with  bays,  coves  and  creeks.  It  is  al- 
most entirely  taken  up,  that  is  the  land  is  held  by 
private  owners,  but  not  half  of  it  is  cultivated. 
Much  of  it  is  good  woodland.  The  west  end,  on 
which  the  city  lies,  is  entirely  cleared,  for  more  than 
an  hour's  distance,  though  that  is  the  poorest 
ground  ;  the  best  being  on  the  east  and  north  side. 
There  are  many  brooks  of  fresh  water  running 
through  it,  pleasant  and  proper  for  man  and  beast 
to  drink ;  as  well  as  agreeable  to  behold,  affording 
cool  and  pleasant  resting  places,  but  especially  suita- 
ble places  for  the  construction  of  mills,  for  though 
there  is  no  overflow  of  water,  it  can  be  used. 

"  A  little  east  of  New  Harlacm,  there  are  two 
ridges  of  very  high  rocks,  with  a  considerable  space 
between  them,  displaying  themselves  very  majestic- 
ally, and  inviting  all  men  to  acknowledge  in  them 
the  grandeur,  power  and  glory  of  the  Creator,  who 
has  impressed  such  marks  upon  them.  Between 
them  runs  the  road  to  Spuyt  den Duyvel.  The  one  to 
the  north  is  the  most  apparent.     The  south  ridge  is 


THE  FINAL  SURRENDER.  34I 

covered  with  earth  on  its  north  side,  but  it  can  be 
seen  from  the  water  or  from  the  mainland  beyond 
to  the  south.  The  soil  between  these  ridges  is  very 
good,  though  a  little  hilly  and  stony.  It  would  be 
very  suitable,  in  my  opinion,  for  planting  vineyards, 
in  consequence  of  its  being  shut  off  on  both  sides, 
from  the  winds  which  would  most  injure  them  ;  and 
it  is  very  warm.  We  found  blue  grapes  along  the 
road,  which  were  very  good  and  sweet,  and  as  good 
as  any  I  have  tasted  in  the  fatherland. 

"  We  went  from  the  city,  following  the  Broadway, 
over  the  valley  or  the  fresh  water.  Upon  both  sides 
of  this  way  there  were  many  habitations  of  negroes, 
mulattoes  and  whites.  The  negroes  were  formerly 
the  slaves  of  the  West  India  Company.  But,  in 
consequence  of  the  frequent  changes  and  conquests 
of  the  country,  they  have  obtained  their  freedom, 
and  settled  themselves  down  where  they  thought 
proper,  and  thus  on  this  road,  where  they  have  grown 
enough  to  live  on  with  their  families.  We  left  the 
village  called  Bowery  on  the  right  hand,  and  went 
through  the  woods  to  Harlaem,  a  tolerably  large 
village  situated  directly  opposite  the  place  where  the 
northeast  creek  and  the  East  river  come  together. 
It  is  about  three  hours'  journey  from  New  Amster- 
dam." 

From  the  account  which  these  gentlemen  give, 


342  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

the  morals  of  the  people  certainly  do  not  appear  to 
have  been  essentially  better  than  now.  They  passed 
the  night  at  the  house  of  the  sheriff.  "  This  house 
was  constantly  filled  with  people  all  the  time  drink- 
ing, for  the  most  part,  that  execrable  rum.  He  had 
also  the  best  cider  we  have  tasted.  Among  the 
crowd  we  found  a  person  of  quality,  an  Englishman, 
named  Captain  Carteret,  whose  father  is  in  great 
favor  with  the  king.  The  king  has  given  his  father, 
Sir  George  Carteret,  the  entire  government  of  the 
lands  west  of  the  North  river  in  New  Netherland, 
with  power  to  appoint  as  governor  whom  he  pleases. 

"  This  son  is  a  very  profligate  person.  He  mar- 
ried a  merchant's  daughter  here,  and  has  so  lived 
with  his  wife  that  her  father  has  been  compelled  to 
take  her  home  again.  He  runs  about  among  the 
farmers  and  stays  where  he  can  find  most  to  drink, 
and  sleeps  in  barns  on  the  straw.  If  he  conducted 
himself  properly,  he  could  be,  not  only  governor 
here,  but  hold  higher  positions,  for  he  has  studied 
the  moralities  and  seems  to  have  been  of  a  good 
understanding.  But  that  is  all  now  drowned.  His 
father,  who  will  not  acknowledge  him  as  his  son, 
allows  him  yearly  as  much  only  as  is  necessary  fot 
him  to  live  on." 

Saturday  morning  they  set  out  from  Harlaem 
village  to  go  to  the  northern  extremity  of  the  island, 


THE  FINAL  SURRENDER.  343 

"  Before  we  left  we  did  not  omit  supplying  ourselves 
with  peaches,  which  grew  in  an  orchard  along  the 
road.  The  whole  ground  was  covered  with  them 
and  with  apples  lying  upon  the  new  grain  with 
which  the  orchard  was  planted.  The  peaches  were 
the  most  delicious  we  had  yet  eaten.  We  proceeded 
on  our  way  and  when  we  were  not  far  from  the  point 
of  Spuyt  den  Duyvel,  we  could  see  on  our  left  the 
rocky  cliffs  of  the  mainland,  and  on  the  other  side 
of  the  North  river  these  cliffs  standing  straight  up 
and  down,  with  the  grain  just  as  if  they  were  anti- 
mony. 

"  We  crossed  over  the  Spuyt  den  Duyvel  in  a 
canoe,  and  paid  nine  stivers  fare  for  us  three,  which 
was  very  dear.*  We  followed  the  opposite  side  of 
the  land  and  came  to  the  house  of  one  Valentym 
He  had  gone  to  the  city ;  but  his  wife  was  so  much 
rejoiced  to  see  Hollanders  that  she  hardly  knew 
what  to  do  for  us.  She  set  before  us  what  she  had. 
We  left  after  breakfasting  there.  Her  son  showed 
us  the  way,  and  we  came  to  a  road  entirely  covered 
with  peaches.  We  asked  a  boy  why  he  let  them  lie 
there  and  why  he  did  not  let  the  hogs  eat  them. 
He  answered 'We  do  not  know  what  to  do  with 
them,  there  are  so  many.  The  hogs  are  satiated  with 
them  and  will  not  eat  any  more.' 

*  This  was  one  cent  and  a  half  for  the  three,  or  half  a  cent  each. 


344  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

"  We  pursued  our  way  now  a  small  distance, 
through  the  woods  and  over  the  hills,  then  back 
again  along  the  shore  to  a  point  where  an  English 
man  lived,  who  was  standing  ready  to  cross  over. 
He  carried  us  over  with  him  and  refused  to  take  any 
pay  for  our  passage,  offering  us  at  the  same  time, 
some  of  his  rum,  a  liquor  which  is  everywhere.  We 
were  now  again  at  Harlaem,  and  dined  with  the 
sheriff,  at  whose  house  we  had  slept  the  night  before. 
It  was  now  two  o'clock.  Leaving  there,  we  crossed 
over  the  island,  which  takes  about  three-quarters  of 
an  hour  to  do,  and  came  to  the  North  river.  We 
continued  along  the  shore  to  the  city,  where  we  ar- 
rived in  the  evening,  much  fatigued,  having  walked 
this  day  about  forty  miles." 

The  rather  singular  record  for  the  next  day, 
which  was  Sunday,  was  as  follows :  "  We  went  at 
noon  to-day  to  hear  the  English  minister,  whose  ser- 
vice took  place  after  the  Dutch  service  was  out. 
There  were  not  above  twenty-five  or  thirty  people 
in  the  church.  The  first  thing  that  occurred  was 
the  reading  of  all  their  prayers  and  ceremonies  out 
of  the  prayer-book,  as  is  done  in  all  Episcopal 
churches.  A  young  man  then  went  into  the  pulpit, 
and  commenced  preaching,  who  thought  he  was  per- 
forming wonders.  But  he  had  a  little  book  in  his 
hand,  out  of  which   he  read  his  sermon  which  was 


THE  FINAL  SURRENDER.  34$ 

about  quarter  of  an  hour  or  half  an  hour  long 
With  this  the  services  were  concluded  ;  at  which  we 
could  not  be  sufficiently  astonished/' 

Though  New  York  had  passed  over  to  British 
rule,  still  for  very  many  years  the  inhabitants  re- 
mained Dutch  in  their  manners,  customs  and  modes 
of  thought.  There  was  a  small  stream,  emptying 
into  the  East  river  nearly  opposite  Blackwell's  Isl- 
and. This  stream  was  crossed  by  a  bridge  which 
was  called  Kissing  Bridge.  It  was  a  favorite  drive, 
for  an  old  Dutch  custom  entitled  every  gentleman 
to  salute  his  lady  with  a  kiss  as  he  crossed. 

The  town  wind-mill  stood  on  a  bluff  within  the 
present  Battery.  Pearl  street  at  that  time  formed 
the  river  bank.  Both  Water  street  and  South  street 
have  been  reclaimed  from  the  river.  The  city  wall 
consisted  of  a  row  of  palisades,  with  an  embankment 
nine  feet  high.  Upon  the  bastions  of  this  rampart 
several  cannon  were  mounted. 
'5* 


CHAPTER    XVI. 
The  Olden  Time. 

Wealth  and   Rank  of  the  Ancient  Families. — Their  Vast  Landed 

Estates. — Distinctions  in  Dress. — Veneration  for  the  Patrooa. — 
Kip's  Mansion. — Days  of  the  Revolution. — Mr.  John  Adams' 
Journal. —  Negro  Slavery. —  Consequences  of  the  System. — 
General  Panic. 

Many  of  the  families  who  came  from  the  Old 
World  to  the  Hudson  when  New  Netherland  was 
under  the  Dutch  regime,  brought  with  them  the 
tokens  of  their  former  rank  and  affluence.  Valuable 
paintings  adorned  their  walls.  Rich  plate  glittered 
upon  their  dining  table.  Obsequious  servants,  who 
had  been  accustomed  in  feudal  Europe  to  regard 
their  masters  as  almost  beings  of  a  superior  order, 
still  looked  up  to  them  in  the  same  reverential  ser- 
vice. The  social  distinctions  of  the  old  country  very 
soon  began  to  prevail  in  the  thriving  village  of  New 
York.  The  governor  was  fond  of  show  and  was 
fully  aware  of  its  influence  upon  the  popular  mind. 
His  residence  became  the  seat  of  quite  a  genteel 
little  court. 


THE  OLDEN  TIME.  347 

"  The  country  was  parcelled  out/'  writes  Rev. 
Bishop  Kip,  "  among  great  proprietors.  We  can 
trace  them  from  the  city  of  New  Amsterdam  to  the 
northern  part  of  the  State.  In  what  is  now  the 
thickly  populated  city  were  the  lands  of  the  Stuyve- 
sants,  originally  the  Bouwerie  of  the  old  governor. 
Next  above  were  the  grant  to  the  Kip  family,  called 
Kip's  Bay,  made  in  1638.  In  the  centre  of  the 
island  was  the  possessions  of  the  De  Lanceys. 
Opposite,  on  Long  Island,  was  the  grant  of  the 
Laurence  family.  We  cross  over  Harlaem  river 
and  reach  Morrisania,.  given  to  the  Morris  family. 
Beyond  this  on  the  East  river,  was  De  Lancey's 
farm,  another  grant  to  that  powerful  family ;  while 
on  the  Hudson  to  the  west,  was  the  lower  Van 
Courtland  manor,  and  the  Phillipse  manor.  Above, 
at  Peekskill,  was  the  upper  manor  of  the  Van 
Courtlands.  Then  came  the  manor  of  Kipsburg, 
purchased  by  the  Kip  family  from  the  Indians  in 
1636,  and  made  a  royal  grant  by  governor  Dongan 
two  years  afterwards. 

"  Still  higher  up  was  the  Van  Rensselaer  manor, 
twenty-four  miles  by  forty-eight  ;  and  above  that 
the  possession  of  the  Schuylers.  Farther  west,  on 
the  Mohawk,  were  the  broad  lands  of  Sir  William 
Johnson,  created  a  baronet  for  his  services  in  the 


348  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

old  French  and  Indian  wars,  who  lived  in  a  rude 
magnificence  at  Johnson  Hall." 

"  The  very  names  of  places  in  some  cases  show 
their  history.  Such  for  instance,  is  that  of  Yonkers. 
The  word  Younkerl  in  the  languages  of  northern 
Europe,  means  the  nobly  born,  the  gentleman.  In 
Westchester,  on  the  Hudson  river,  still  stands  the 
old  manor  house  of  the  Phillipse  family.  The  writer 
remembers  in  his  early  days  when  visiting  there,  the 
large  rooms  and  richly  ornamented  ceilings,  with 
quaint  old  formal  gardens  about  the  house.  When 
before  the  revolution,  Mr.  Phillipse  lived  there,  lord 
of  all  he  surveyed,  he  was  always  spoken  of  by  his 
tenantry  as  the  Yonker,  the  gentleman,  par  excel- 
lence. In  fact  he  was  the  only  person  of  social  rank 
in  that  part  of  the  country.  In  this  way  the  town, 
which  subsequently  grew  up  about  the  old  manor 
house,  took  the  name  of  Yonkers. 

The  early  settlement  of  New  England  was  very 
different  in  its  character.  Nearly  all  the  emigrants 
were  small  farmers,  upon  social  equality,  cultivating 
the  fields  with  their  own  hands.  Governors  Carver 
and  Bradford  worked  as  diligently  with  hoe  and 
plough  as  did  any  of  their  associates.  They  were 
simply  first  among  equals. 

"The  only  exception  to  this,"  writes  Mr.  Kip, 
*  which  we  can  remember  was  the  case  of  the  Gardi- 


THE  OLDEN  TIME.  349 

ners  of  Maine.  Their  wide  lands  were  confiscated 
for  their  loyalty.  But  on  account  of  some  informal- 
ity, after  the  Revolution,  they  managed  to  recover 
their  property  and  are  still  seated  at  Gardiner." 

For  more  than  a  century  these  distinguished 
families  in  New  Netherland  retained  their  suprema- 
cy undisputed.  They  filled  all  the  posts  of  honor 
and  emolument.  The  distinctions  in  society  were 
plainly  marked  by  the  dress.  The  costume  of  the 
gentleman  was  very  rich.  His  coat  of  glossy  velvet 
was  lined  with  gold  lace.  His  flowing  sleeves  and 
ruffled  cuffs  gave  grace  to  all  the  movements  of  his 
arms  and  hands.  Immense  wigs  adorned  his  brow 
with  almost  the  dignity  of  Olympian  Jove.  A  glit- 
tering rapier,  with  its  embossed  and  jewelled  scab- 
bard, hung  by  his  side. 

The  common  people  in  New  Netherland,  would 
no  more  think  of  assuming  the  dress  of  a  gentleman 
or  lady,  than  with  us,  a  merchant  or  mechanic  would 
think  of  decorating  himself  in  the  dress  of  a  Major- 
General  in  the  United  States  army.  There  was  an 
impassable  gulf  between  the  peasantry  and  the  aris- 
tocracy. The  laborers  on  these  large  Dutch  estates 
were  generally  poor  peasants,  who  had  been  brought 
over  by  the  landed  proprietors,  passage  free.  They 
were  thus  virtually  for  a  number  of  years,  slaves  of 
the  palroon,  serving   him  until,  by  their  labor,  they 


350  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

had  paid  for  their  passage  money.  In  the  language 
of  the  day  they  were  called  Redemptioners.  Often 
the  term  of  service  of  a  man,  who  had  come  over 
with  his  family,  amounted  to  seven  years. 

"  This  system,"  writes  Mr.  Kip,  "  was  carried  out 
to  an  extent  of  which  most  persons  are  ignorant. 
On  the  Van  Rensselaer  manor,  there  were  at  one 
time,  several  thousand  tenants,  and  their  gathering 
was  like  that  of  the  Scottish  clans.  When  a  mem- 
ber of  the  family  died  they  came  down  to  Albany 
to  do  honor  at  the  funeral,  and  many  were  the 
hogsheads  of  good  ale  which  were  broached  for  them. 
They  looked  up  to  the  Patroon  with  a  reverence 
which  was  still  lingering  in  the  writer's  early  day, 
notwithstanding  the  inroads  of  democracy.  And 
before  the  Revolution  this  feeling  was  shared  by 
the  whole  country.  When  it  was  announced,  in 
New  York,  a  century  ago,  that  the  Patroon  was 
coming  down  from  Albany  by  land,  the  day  he  was 
expected  to  reach  the  city,  crowds  turned  out  to 
see  him  enter  in  his  coach  and  four. 

The  aristocratic  Dutchmen  cherished  a  great  con- 
tempt for  the  democratic  Puritans  of  New  England. 
One  of  the  distinguished  members  of  a  colonial  fam- 
ily in  New  York,  who  died  in  the  year  1740,  insert- 
ed the  following  clause  in  his  will : 

"  It  is  my  wish  that  my  son  may  have  the  best 


THE  OLDEN  TIME.  351 

education  that  is  to  be  had  in  England  or  America, 
But  my  express  will  and  directions  are,  that  he 
never  be  sent  for  that  purpose,  to  the  Connecticut 
colonies,  lest  he  should  imbibe  in  his  youth,  that 
low  craft  and  cunning,  so  incidental  to  the  people 
of  that  country,  which  is  so  interwoven  in  their  con- 
stitutions, that  all  their  acts  cannot  disguise  it  from 
the  world  ;  though  many  of  them,  under  the  sancti- 
fied garb  of  religion,  have  endeavored  to  impose 
themselves  on  the  world  as  honest  men." 

Usually  once  in  a  year  the  residents  in  their  im- 
posing manorial  homes  repaired,  from  their  rural  re- 
treats, to  New  York  to  make  their  annual  purchas- 
es. After  the  country  passed  into  the  hands  of  the 
English,  several  men  of  high  families  came  over. 
These  all  held  themselves  quite  aloof  from  the 
masses  of  the  people.  And  there  was  no  more 
disposition  among  the  commonalty  to  claim  equality 
with  these  high-born  men  and  dames,  than  there 
was  in  England  for  the  humble  farmers  to  deny 
any  social  distinction  between  themselves  and  the 
occupants  of  the  battlemented  castles  which  over- 
shadowed the  peasant's  lowly  cot. 

Lord  Cornbury  was  of  the  blood  royal.  The 
dress  and  etiquette  of  courts  prevailed  in  his  spa- 
cious saloons.  "About  many  of  their  old  country 
houses/  writes  Mr.  Kip,  u  were  associations  gather- 


352  PETER   STUYVESANT. 

ed  often  coming  down  from  the  first  settlement  of 
the  country,  giving  them  an  interest  which  can 
never  invest  the  new  residences  of  those  whom  lat- 
er times  elevated  through  wealth.  Such  was  the 
Van  Courtland  manor-house,  with  its  wainscotted 
room  and  guest  chamber ;  the  Rensselaer  manor- 
house,  where  of  old  had  been  entertained  Talley- 
rand, and  the  exiled  princes  from  Europe ;  the 
Schuyler  house,  so  near  the  Saratoga  battle-field, 
and  marked  by  memories  of  that  glorious  event 
in  the  life  of  its  owner ;  and  the  residence  of 
the  Livingstons,  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson, 
of  which  Louis  Philippe  expressed  such  grate- 
ful recollections  when,  after  his  elevation  to  the 
throne,  he  met,  in  Paris,  the  son  of  his  formef 
host." 

At  Kip's  Bay  there  was  a  large  mansion  which 
for  two  centuries  attracted  the  admiration  of  behold- 
ers. It  was  a  large  double  house  with  the  addition 
of  a  wing.  From  the  spacious  hall,  turning  to  the 
left,  you  entered  the  large  dining-saloon.  The  two 
front  windows  gave  you  a  view  of  the  beautiful  bay. 
The  two  rear  windows  opened  upon  a  pleasant  rural 
landscape.  In  this  dining-room  a  large  dinnerparty 
was  held,  in  honor  of  Andre  the  day  before  he  set 
out  upon  his  fatal  excursion  to  West  Point.  In  Sar- 
gent's, "  Life  of  Andre,"  we  find  a  very  interesting 


THE  OLDEN   TIME.  353 

description  of  this  mansion,  and  of  the  scenes  wit- 
nessed there  in  olden  time. 

"  Where  now  in  New  York  is  the  unalluring  and 
crowded  neighborhood  of  Second  avenue  and  Thir- 
ty-fifth street,  stood,  in  1780,  the  ancient  Bowerie  or 
country  seat  of  Jacobus  Kip.  Built  in  1655,  of 
bricks  brought  from  Holland,  encompassed  by  pleas- 
ant trees  and  in  easy  view  of  the  sparkling  wraters 
of  Kip's  Bay,  on  the  East  river,  the  mansion  remain- 
ed, even  to  our  own  times,  in  the  possession  of  one 
of  its  founder's  line. 

14  When  Washington  was  in  the  neighborhood, 
Kip's  house  had  been  his  quarters.  When  Howe 
crossed  from  Long  Island  on  Sunday,  September 
15th,  1776,  he  debarked  at  the  rocky  point  hard  by, 
and  his  skirmishers  drove  our  people  from  their  po- 
sition behind  the  dwelling.  Since  then  it  had 
known  many  guests.  Howe,  Clinton,  Kniphausen, 
Percy  were  sheltered  by  its  roof.  The  aged  owner, 
with  his  wife  and  daughter,  remained.  But  they 
had  always  an  officer  of  distinction  quartered  with 
them.  And  if  a  part  of  the  family  wrere  in  arms  for 
Congress,  as  is  alleged,  it  is  certain  that  others  were 
active  for  the  Crown. 

"  Samuel  Kip,  of  Kipsburg,  led  a  cavalry  troop 
of  his  own  tenantry,  with  great  gallantry,  in  De  Lan- 
cey's  regiment.     And    despite  severe    wounds,  sur« 


3S4  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

vived  long  after  the  war,  a  heavy  pecuniary  sufferci 
by  the  cause  which,  with  most  of  the  landed  gentry 
of  New  York,  he  had  espoused. 

"  In  1780,  it  was  held  by  Colone.  Williams,  of 
the  "8oth  royal  regiment.  And  here,  on  the  evening 
of  the  19th  of  September,  he  gave  a  dinner  to  Sir 
Henry  Clinton  and  his  staff,  as  a  parting  compliment 
to  Andre.  The  aged  owner  of  the  house  was  pres- 
ent ;  and  when  the  Revolution  was  over  he  describ- 
ed the  scene  and  the  incidents  of  that  dinner.  At 
the  table  Sir  Henry  Clinton  announced  the  depart- 
ure of  Andre  next  morning,  on  a  secret  and  most 
important  expedition,  and  added,  '  Plain  John  An- 
dre will  come  back  Sir  John  Andre.' 

u  How  brilliant  soever  the  company,"  Mr.  Sar- 
gent adds,  "how  cheerful  the  repast,  its  memory 
must  ever  have  been  fraught  with  sadness  to  both 
host  and  guests.  It  was  the  last  occasion  of  Andre's 
meeting  his  comrades  in  life.  Four  short  days  gone, 
the  hands,  then  clasped  by  friendship,  were  fettered 
by  hostile  bonds.  Yet  nine  days  more  and  the 
darling  of  the  army,  the  youthful  hero  of  the  hour, 
had  dangled  from  a  gibbet," 

For  two  hundred  and  twelve  years  this  mansion 
of  venerable  memories  remained.  Then  it  was 
swept  away  by  the  resistless  tide  of  an  advancing 
population.     The  thronged    pavements   of  Thirty- 


THE  OLDEN  TIME.  3  5  5 

fifth  street  now  pass  over  the  spot,  where  two  centu- 
ries ago  the  most  illustrious  men  crowded  the  ban- 
queting hall,  and  where  youth  and  beauty  met  in 
the  dance  and  song.  In  view  of  these  ravages  of 
time,  well  may  we  exclaim  in  the  impressive  words 
of  Burke,  "  What  shadows  we  are  and  what  shadows 
we  pursue. " 

In  the  yea>  1774,  John  Adams  rode  from  Boston 
to  Philadelphia  on  horseback,  to  attend  the  first 
meeting  of  Congress.  His  journal  contains  an 
interesting  account  of  this  long  and  fatiguing  tour. 
Coming  from  the  puritanic  simplicity  of  Boston,  he 
was  evidently  deeply  impressed  with  the  style  and 
splendor  which  met  his  eye  in  New  York.  In  glow- 
ing terms  he  alludes  to  the  elegance  of  their  mode 
of  livirg,  to  the  architectural  grandeur  of  their 
country  seats  ;  to  the  splendor  of  Broadway,  and  to 
the  magnificent  new  church  they  were  building, 
which  was  to  cost  one  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

The  aristocratic  families  of  New  York  were 
generally  in  favor  of  the  Crown.  They  were  not 
disposed  to  pay  any  special  attention  to  a  delegate 
to  the  democratic  Congress.  He  had  therefore  no 
opportunity  of  witnessing  the  splendor  of  these 
ancient  families.  Two  lawyers  who  had  become 
wealthy  by  their  professional  labors,  received  him 
with  honor.     At  their  breakfast  tables  he  beheld  dis 


3 $6  PETER  STUYYESANT. 

play,  common  enough  in  almost  every  genteel 
household  at  the  present  day,  but  to  which  he  was 
quite  unaccustomed  in  his  frugal  home  at  Quincy. 
One  cannot  but  be  amused  in  reading  the  following 
description  of  one  of  his  entertainments  : 

"  A  more  elegant  breakfast  I  never  saw ;  rich 
plate  ;  a  very  large  silver  coffee  pot ;  a  very  large 
silver  tea  pot ;  napkins  of  the  very  finest  materials ; 
toast  and  bread  and  butter  in  great  perfection. 
After  breakfast  a  plate  of  beautiful  peaches,  another 
of  pears  and  a  muskmelon  were  placed  on  the 
table." 

The  Revolution  proved  the  utter  ruin  of  these 
great  landed  proprietors,  who  naturally  espoused  the 
cause  of  the  British  court.  The  habits  of  life  to 
which  they  and  their  fathers  had  been  accustomed 
necessarily  rendered  all  the  levelling  doctrines  of  the 
Revolution  offensive  to  them.  They  rallied  around 
the  royal  banners  and  went  down  with  them. 

Some  few  of  the  landed  proprietors  espoused  the 
cause  of  the  people.  Among  others  may  be  men- 
tioned the  Livingstons  and  the  Schuylers,  the  Jays, 
the  Laurences,  and  a  portion  of  the  Van  Courtlands, 
and  of  the  Morris  family.  Fortunately  for  the 
Patroon  Van  Rensselaer,  he  was  a  minor,  and  thus 
escaped  the  peril  of  attaching  himself  to  either 
party. 


THE   OLDEN   TIME.  35/ 

Negro  slavery  in  a  mild  form  prevailed  in  these 
early  years  in  New  York.  The  cruel  and  accursed 
system  had  been  early  introduced  into  the  colony. 
Most  of  the  slaves  were  domestic  servants,  very  few 
being  employed  in  the  fields.  They  were  treated 
with  personal  kindness.  Still  they  were  bondmen, 
deprived  of  liberty,  of  fair  wages,  and  of  any  chance 
of  rising  in  the  world.  Such  men  cannot,  by  any 
possibility,  be  contented  with  their  lot.  Mr.  Wil- 
liam L.  Stone,  in  his  very  interesting  History  of 
New  York,  writes : 

"  As  far  back  as  1628,  slaves  constituted  a  por- 
tion of  the  population  of  New  Amsterdam  ;  and  to 
such  an  extent  had  the  traffic  in  them  reached  that, 
in  1709,  a  slave  market  was  erected  at  the  foot  of 
Wall  street,  where  all  negroes  who  were  to  be  hired 
or  sold,  stood  in  readiness  for  bidders.  Their  intro- 
duction into  the  colony  was  hastened  by  the  colo- 
nial establishment  of  the  Dutch  in  Brazil  and  upon 
the  coast  of  Guinea,  and  also  by  the  capture  of 
Spanish  and  Portuguese  prizes  with  Africans  on 
board. 

"  Several  outbreaks  had  already  happened  among 
the    negroes  of  New  Amsterdam  ;  and  the  whites 
lived  in  constant  anticipation  of  trouble  and  dangei 
from  them.     Rumors  of   an  intended  insurrection 
real  or  imaginary,  would  circulate,  as  in  the  negro 


358  PETER  STU  YVES  ANT. 

plot  of  17 1 2,  and  the  whole  city  be  thrown  into  a 
state  of  alarm.  Whether  there  was  any  real  danger 
on  these  occasions,  cannot  now  be  known.  But  the 
result  was  always  the  same.  The  slaves  always  suf- 
fered, many  dying  by  the  fagot  or  the  gallows.'* 

In  the  year  1741,  a  terrible  panic  agitated  the 
whole  city  in  apprehension  of  an  insurrection  of  the 
slaves.  The  most  cruel  laws  had  been  passed  to 
hold  them  firmly  in  bondage.  The  city  then  con- 
tained ten  thousand  inhabitants,  two  thousand  of 
whom  were  slaves.  If  three  of  these,  "  black  seed 
of  Cain,"  were  found  together,  they  were  liable 
to  be  punished  by  forty  lashes  on  the  bare  back. 
The  same  punishment  was  inflicted  upon  a  slave 
found  walking  with  a  club,  outside  of  his  master's 
grounds  without  a  permit.  Two  justices  could  in- 
flict any  punishment,  except  amputation  or  death, 
upon  any  slave  who  should  make  an  assault  upon 
a  Christian  or  a  Jew. 

A  calaboose  or  jail  for  slaves  stood  on  the  Park 
Common.  Many  of  the  leading  merchants  in  New 
York  were  engaged  in  the  slave  trade.  Several  fires 
had  taken  place,  which  led  to  the  suspicion  that  the 
slaves  had  formed  a  plot  to  burn  the  city  and  mas- 
sacre the  inhabitants.  The  panic  was  such  that  the 
community  seemed  bereft  of  reason.  A  poor,  weak, 
half-crazed  servant-girl,  Mary    Burton,  in    a  sailor's 


THE  OLDEN  TIME.  359 

boarding  house,  testified,  after  much  importunity, 
that  she  had  overheard  some  negroes  conferring  re- 
specting setting  the  town  on  fire. 

At  first  she  confined  her  accusations  to  tke 
blacks.  Then  she  began  to  criminate  white  people, 
bringing  charges  against  her  landlord,  his  wife  and 
other  white  persons  in  the  household.  In  a  History 
of  this  strange  affair  written  at  the  time,  by  Daniel 
Horsmanden,  one  of  the  Justices  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  we  read, 

"  The  whole  summer  was  spent  in  the  prosecu- 
tions. A  coincidence  of  slight  circumstances  was 
magnified,  by  the  general  terror,  into  violent  pre- 
sumptions. Tales  collected  without  doors,  mingling 
with  the  proofs  given  at  the  bar,  poisoned  the 
minds  of  the  jurors,  and  this  sanguinary  spirit  of 
the  day  suffered  no  check  until  Mary,  the  capital  in- 
former, bewildered  by  the  frequent  examinations 
and  suggestions,  began  to  touch  characters  which 
malice  itself  dare  not  suspect.'' 

During  this  period  of  almost  insane  excitement, 
thirteen  negroes  were  burned  at  the  stake,  eighteen 
were  hanged,  and  seventy  transported. 

I  cannot  conclude  this  treatise  upon  the  olden 
time  better  than  by  quoting  the  eloquent  words  of 
Mr.  Kip : 

"  The  dress,  which  had  for  generations  been  the 


360  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

sign  and  symbol  of  a  gentleman,  gradually  waned 
away,  till  society  reached  that  charming  state  of 
equality  in  which  it  became  impossible,  by  any  out- 
ward costume,  to  distinguish  masters  from  servants. 
John  Jay  says,  in  one  of  his  letters,  that  with  small 
clothes  and  buckles  the  high  tone  of  society  de- 
parted. In  the  writer's  early  day  this  system  of  the 
past  was  just  going  out.  Wigs  and  powder  and 
queues,  breeches  and  buckles,  still  lingered  among 
the  older  gentlemen,  vestiges  of  an  age  which  was 
vanishing  away. 

"  But  the  high  toned  feeling  of  the  last  century 
was  still  in  the  ascendant,  and  had  not  yet  suc- 
cumbed to  the  worship  of  mammon,  which  charac- 
terizes this  age.  There  was  still  in  New  York  a 
reverence  for  the  colonial  families,  and  the  prominent 
political  men,  like  Duane,  Clinton,  Colden,  Radcliff, 
Hoffman  and  Livingston,  were  generally  gentlemen, 
both  by  birth  and  social  standing.  The  time  had 
not  yet  come  when  this  was  to  be  an  objection  to  an 
individual  in  a  political  career.  The  leaders  were 
men  whose  names  were  historical  in  the  State,  and 
they  influenced  society.  The  old  families  still 
formed  an  association  among  themselves,  and  inter- 
married, one  generation  after  another.  Society  was 
therefore  very  restricted.  The  writer  remembers 
in  his  childhood,  when  he  went  out  with  his  father 


THE  OLDEN  TIME.  36 1 

for  his  afternoon  drive,  he  knew  every  carriage  they 
met  on  the  avenues. 

"  The  gentlemen  of  that  day  knew  each  othei 
well,  for  they  had  grown  up  together  and  their 
associations  in  the  past  were  the  same.  Yet,  what 
friendships  for  after-life  did  these  associations  form  ! 
There  was,  in  those  days,  none  of  the  show  and  glit- 
ter of  modern  times.  But  there  was,  with  many  01 
these  families,  particularly  with  those  who  had 
retained  their  landed  estates  and  were  still  living  in 
their  old  family  homes,  an  elegance  which  has  never 
been  rivalled  in  other,  parts  ot  the  country.  In  his 
early  days  the  writer  has  been  much  at  the  South , 
has  staid  at  Mount  Vernon  when  it  was  held  by 
the  Washingtons ;  with  Lord  Fairfax's  family, 
at  Ashgrove  and  Vancluse;  but  he  has  never 
elsewhere  seen  such  elegance  of  living  as  was 
formerly  exhibited  by  the  old  families  of  New 
York. 

"  One  thing  is  certain,  that  there  was  a  high  tone 

prevailing  at  that  time,  which  is  now  nowhere  to  be 

seen.     The  community  then  looked    up    to    public 

men,  with  a  degree  of  reverence  which   has   never 

been  felt  by  those  who  have  succeeded  them.     They 

were  the  last  of  a  race  which  does  not  now  exist. 

With  them  died  the  stateliness  of  colonial  times. 

Wealth  came    in    and    created  a  social    distinction 
16 


302  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

which   took  the  place  of   family ;  and  thus  society 
became  vulgarized. 

"  The  influences  of  the  past  are  fast  vanishing 
away,  and  our  children  will  look  only  to  the  shadowy 
future.  The  very  rule  by  which  we  estimate  individ- 
uals has  been  entirely  altered.  The  inquiry  once 
was,  '  Who  is  he  ? '  Men  now  ask  the  question, 
'  How  much  is  he  worth  ? '  Have  we  gained  by  the 
change  ? " 


THE   END. 


